STRIKE Reborn
by TheGirlWithFarTooManyIdeas
Summary: A transmission from the future gives Kira Yamato some very relevant memories. So when ZAFT attacks Heliopolis, he jumps into the Strike willingly - to save his home, save his friends, save Athrun's friends, prevent the attack on ORB, bring a better peace between the PLANTs and Earth, stop Rau le Creuset, and maybe fall in love. No pressure. Warrior pacifist Kira, Kira/Athrun
1. Chapter 1

**STRIKE Reborn**

 _ **Me: Reuploaded with renewed purpose.**_

 ** _Rau le Creuset: Because you're impulsive. Pathetically impulsive._**

 ** _Me: Ah, shaddup Rau. I initially thought I didn't want to bury myself with too many stories at once like I had before._**

 ** _Rau le Creuset: Yet you are. You're very predicable, girl._**

 ** _Me: Why did I let you out of the lobby again?_**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed.**

 **Prologue**

" _The machine is all prepared. All it needs is the right subject."_

 _A young man stood in a dark science lab, looking at a medical bed which was surrounded by a metal and glass stasis pod. Connected to the top was a grey helmet with eerie glowing crystals on it, connected to the various room sized computers by thousands of wires and connecting cables. The various scientists standing around it were watching his expression with no small amount of anticipation; their prayers and preparations all rested on him. The young man bit his lip, his mind turning over the various possible consequences, but the desire, longing, and above all, hope, in his eyes as he examined the device easily let them know what side he was swaying towards._

" _You're sure it will work?" He asked after several tense minutes._

" _We've tested it as much as we can without interfering with recent times. After all, to do so would blow our cover, at the moment." The young man gave them an expectant look. "It surpassed all our wildest expectations."_

" _Can you be sure it will go back far enough?" He asked._

" _Data doesn't lie, Mister Yamato. I assure you, it will work, if you can give us the exact date."_

" _Why offer me a chance to enact a miracle? What do you want me to do? Act as your assassin, removing 'unwanted' obstacles?" The young man asked skeptically, eyes flickering from one man to the other._

" _How can you ask us that?" One scientist, a lady, asked. "We came to you because we wanted things to be different...not worse. This isn't some murder mission...this is a plan to save lives..."_

 _The young man relaxed, his face becoming contrite. "I'm sorry; I had to ask."_

 _One of the older men chuckled. "I would have been more surprised, and somewhat concerned, if you hadn't been suspicious of our motives considering the characters you've run into while acting as a Gundam Pilot. All is forgiven."_

 _Hesitation now laid to rest, the young man stepped forward and lay down on the bed. The scientists went about turning the various dials while the woman carefully locked the helmet around the young man's head...a mind deep in dreams of the people he had lost, the people he had failed...and the people he had killed, meaningfully or not._

 _He whispered the date. That day._

 _The day Heliopolis was attacked._

 _The female doctor picked up a sketch the young man had brought with him and examined it. It was the drawing of a sword...but a very strange one. It had a reversed blade, inverted from what a normal killing steel was made as. A blade that wounded, damaged and caused pain...but a blade that wouldn't, couldn't kill._

" _Is this the sign of your pacifist heart?" The woman asked him quietly._

" _It's a sign of how I battle now. How I always will." The young man smiled ever so slightly; as the mask covered his face only his lips could be seen in the light of the machine as it activated, sending thoughts and memories back_

 _ ****~Heliopolis, several years earlier~****_

"Gah...guuuh...help...no...no..."

Kira Yamato thrashed in his hospital bed, eyes fixed on an unseeing point. He was running a high fever and wasn't responding to any of the treatment his increasingly alarmed parents gave him. He'd been in this state for the better part of a day, and had been brought to the hospital a few hours ago. And now, the doctors assigned to him seemed honestly baffled.

"I don't understand...what do you mean, there's no sign of illness? Just look at him!" Mrs Yamato protested, eyes wide and anguished as she watched her son spasm and struggle.

"Yes, but the devices aren't registering any anomalies outside of brain activity. It leads me to believe this is psychosomatic. It's the only explanation."

"P-psychosomatic? But where could he...what could have happened to him to cause this...?"

"Has your son suffered any traumatic experiences recently?"

"What?! No! We...we've lived in Heliopolis for years. Nothing terrible has ever happened to him...! The worst he's seen of the world could only come from news programs...!"

"You're certain?"

" _Uaaahhh..."_ Kira's wrist twisted and his limbs spazzmed. The boy had cracked the wrist of one of the doctors who had been trying to restrain him; eventually they had tied his arms down to keep him from hurting himself or anyone around him.

Kira's lips were moving, but no noise was coming out – he had screamed himself raw during the night, and while the doctors had managed to get some water into him, his throat was still resting. But his lips were still forming words...

 _Athrun...Tolle... ...what was his name? ...Nicol... ...No. I see him every night...in my nightmares... ...the death, the death, how many have I caused? I never wanted it, I never wanted any of it...! It's not enough, it's not nearly enough, but I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm SORRY!_

His heartbeat spiked on the monitor again. The doctors gave him more sleeping draught, which helped with the struggling, but the boy seemed to still be talking to himself...

 _...Flay...the ship, his ship, I failed to protect it... ...I failed that little girl... ...saw the remains, the wreckage...why is there so much hatred in this universe? Will this bring back any of the dead...? All I wanted to do was keep them safe...!_

Distressed, Mrs Yamato later sat down and gently wiped Kira's sweat soaked brow. Her son was trembling to the touch, body wracked with chills.

 _Where would I start...? Miriallia, I didn't keep him safe, I can't face you now... ...thank you...you didn't have to forgive me, most people wouldn't have...what is it that I am fighting for...? ...I've always known what...for my friends...but what could that turn me into...?_

 _I have to fight differently...I have to fight better...I never wanted to fight, but I have no choice but to...but that doesn't mean..._

Kira rolled over slightly, leaning against his mother's hands. _...To be strong...what does it mean...what I'd give...to be back there...back before it all...back under the stars...back on that road, windswept with cherry blossoms in my hair...back with you..._

This went on throughout the night. Kira kept silently talking, to who the doctors weren't certain, and none of them knew how to read lips. What he was saying wouldn't have made sense to them, but he wouldn't have wanted it repeated under any context...

It spoke of massacres and wars and struggles. It was the memory of blood and tears and death and regret and loss. It was a ballad of tragedy, being spoken by a voice with increasing conviction, with strength.

It was as if the past and future were speaking to each other...for they were. A miracle engine, throwing a torch back into the past and illuminating the horrors and the triumphs that lay before it, challenging the child to choose his path. The future, fading away, imparted what it knew to this past so it may no longer exist, and did so with a soft, certain smile.

 _...Cagalli, my sister...ORB, its peace shattered...the GENESIS, the Nukes...I won't let anyone fire them...I'll destroy them before they have the chance to be used...I'll mark the graves at Junius, maybe leave some sort of note so the PLANTs can come collect their dead..._

 _...I won't kill Nicol or destroy the Blitz, not by accident, not under any circumstances. I'll protect him, him and Athrun. I'll look after Tolle, I'll never give him a reason to come chasing, trying to protect me. I'll even try not to scar up Yzak's face, though he's not going to make it easy for me! ...Even Shinn, Shiho and those others, their sadness was born back in this first war._

 _...I'll give them the future, a better future, a happy future..._

 _I won't let those mad men destroy anything...not at the beginning, or the end._

As the dawn light passed over Kira's face, he slowly opened his eyes for the first time in forty two hours. Since there was no one in the room, they did not comment on how his eyes seemed so much wiser than his age, and the parents wouldn't have seen the child they would not have recognized. There was knowledge, wisdom, sadness...but above all...

There was resolve, an epic determination usually reserved for old poems and the songs of stories. It was the spirit on which history was written. A lesser man would look into those eyes and quail with fear, or kneel in awed deference.

Kira slowly sat up, shaking his head, weak from lack of food and water. He looked around the room until he spotted the calendar. _Tomorrow, huh...?_ In his minds eye, he saw a familiar shadow. _Wait for me there, STRIKE...we have work to do._

 **End Chapter**

 **I am very sorry about the confusion. What happened was I started the story, then got stuck when I wasn't sure what would happen after the meeting in ORB, then after I rewatched the series and uploaded _Knife_ I got my inspiration back. I'm very sorry I deleted it, it was impulsive due to concerns about school and online work load. Changed my mind, folks!**

 _ **Pairings will eventually be Kira/Athrun, Miriallia/Dearka, and Mu/Murrue**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**STRIKE Reborn**

 _ **Me: Maaan, the site where I watch the episodes is so finicky! Come on, why is episode 44 just randomly missing?! That's such a nuisance! And buying it on Amazon is something like 180 dollars, if I'm lucky. Siiigh, it's not easy being an anime fan sometimes...**_

 ** _Nicol: Are you going to turn that down?!_**

 ** _Me: Eh? (waves hand vaguely at the computer blaring WildFang by Janne da Arc) But that's the theme song for another story I'm writing for you guys!_**

 ** _Nicol: (holding hands over ears) I generally prefer classical music. And aside from my preferences - those sound speakers are going to EXPLODE!_**

 ** _Me: ...Good point. (rushes to pour cold water over sparking speakers)_**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED.**

 **Chapter 1: Reborn, the Peaceful Warrior**

Kira's hands rushed over the keypad of his computer. He was sitting on a familiar park bench, soaking in the artificial sunlight with Tori perched on his shoulder. The peace and the quiet had gotten to him when he left the hospital, originally leaving him feeling weak...but now it was acting as a buoy, adding to his determination.

Technically he had data from the professor to work on, but considering that the colony was about to go up in smoke, he had shelved that to instead go hunting for information on Blue Cosmos; specifically its recent history. Professor Kato would understand; (provided he survived this; Kira had never really found out last time). Kira was a diligent worker, but tragedy of tragedies, they were all about to die unless he did something about it.

So instead he looked for Blue Cosmos. _A fringe extremist group...yeah, right. If only_. Kira shook his head, can you really be 'fringe' if you have people sympathetic to your bullshit 'cause' in the upper echelons of the Alliance military? Maybe he should show this data to Captain Ramius, later on, maybe after his encounter with Andy so he'd have some precedence for it. She and Mu would help him. Under most circumstances that data would be hard to come by, but Kira was a) better informed on where to look than most, b) an extremely determined Coordinator with an axe to grind, and c) absolutely planned to pull these bastards into the open and hand them over to the PLANTs for justice. Needless to say, there wasn't a shadow anywhere in the universe that could hide Cosmos from him.

He was saving the various information to a pair of hard drives he could carry with him before everything went to hell. While he couldn't find anything on Azrael without hacking into Alliance Systems, he could get a number of the man's minions. And with luck, he'd be able to confront Azrael directly before he could take the Dominion to the sky.

Luck had never been on his side before. But damn luck. Kira would win without it. He was _determined_ not to fail anyone this time.

A beep caught his attention; both data sticks had been filled to capacity. Kira let out a deep breath, ejected the data and erased his browsing history. Plans of varying practicality bounced around his skull as he examined the scenario he knew was in play from every angle.

 _The Neutral members of the PLANT Council would probably be happy to demand they be extradited in exchange for a ceasefire, even a temporary one...Yzak's mother lost her husband and one of her sons at Junius...Arthrun lost his mother...and those are the only two I really know. There are many more. I imagine they all want justice so badly, that's why they entered this war,_ Kira pondered, biting his lip slightly. The memory of the remains of Junius Seven, even of just what he'd seen, still haunted him. And he knew, somewhere among that debris...was Athrun's mother. _I wonder if we can stop, long enough to retrieve those bodies...they shouldn't just be left to hang in space...well, the Gundams wouldn't be able to chase us if their transport ship was damaged. I might be able to conjure that sort of magic after we leave Artemis._

The idea of finding his best friend's mother emboldened him. Athrun deserved that closure. Lenore deserved to be buried properly. Hell, it might even do good for the patriarch, though Kira knew there was little hope of piercing through the veil of hatred that had settled around that man's heart.

 _Of course, Le Creuset wouldn't be happy, but they wouldn't be able to do anything about it without tipping their hands...at least not at first. Creuset wouldn't take long to try and counter what I'm doing..._

 _I should try and kill him._ Rau le Creuset was one of the few people Kira was permitting himself to kill. _While he's here. It would be a long shot, but I have to at least try. So much of this, if not all of it, all goes back to him._

A couple of kids were roughhousing a few metres away from him. Kira smiled as he watched them tumble around for a moment before returning to his work. _Proving Azreal's involved is going to be the real problem. I'll probably need help to expose him...or trick him into exposing himself._ Various plots as to how he might pull _that_ off circled around his head. _If I get to Alaska alongside the Archangel, I'll probably be thrown in prison. That or the Blue Cosmos will try to kill me and pass it off as an accident. There's no real way for Azrael to come to me...so I'll have to go to him. Somehow._

 _Easier said than done_.

"Kira!"

"Hey, Kira!"

Kira gasped as if he had been kicked in the gut, knocking all the wind out of his lungs. His eyes swung towards the source of the cries, two people running towards him with familiar, friendly smiles. One of them, the last time he'd seen him, was raining blood, oil and machine parts across the sky as his Skygrasper exploded.

Though he had marshalled himself a bit – and technically, the other boy had never been dead since none of this had happened yet – Kira still felt like he was staring into the afterlife, his mind jamming into neutral, when he heard Tolle's voice. He turned his head away from the computer fully and took in the lively grin of his brown haired friend as he skidded to a halt a few feet away from the table, Miriallia at his side. Tolle was grinning in his trademark clueless way, and his playful laugh utterly drowned out the faint dying scream that had echoed through Kira's memory every moment since.

"We've been looking for you – so this is where you were hiding out!" Tolle said cheerfully. "Trying to escape the Professor? He's been lamenting your absence for a few days now!"

"Y...Y...Yeah." Kira choked out after a moment, the words coming out as shaky and full of emotion instead of calm and steady, as he had hoped for.

Tolle faltered at that, blinking at Kira. "Hey...what's the matter, buddy?"

Miriallia blinked, examining Kira's white face as concern flittered through her eyes. The eyes untouched by sorrow, a light that he had only seen when Dearka Elsman was teasing her – either over the intercom, in the heat of battle (something that drove Captain Ramius crazy) – or in person; after that day. He did so because he wanted to see her spirit – that brilliant, beautiful spirit.

War was a strange place to find one's soul mate.

"Are you okay, Kira? You look like you've seen a ghost." Concerned, Miriallia added, "That sickness isn't coming back, is it?"

"I..." Kira melted back against the desk, causing Tori to squeak when it was dislodged from its perch on his shoulder. The bird flew around his head as he muttered, "No, I am better, I'm just still getting dazed at random intervals."

"Terrible time for the Professor to dump work on you then, huh?" Tolle suggested jokingly.

"If this doesn't prove that man has no pity, I don't know what will," Kira drawled, playing along, and grinned like a fool when this caused both Tolle and Miriallia to laugh. "Whenever I've tried to work on it today, it sends my head spinning with nausea." It was true, though he had trained himself to ignore it during conflict.

"I _told_ you, you should be taking it easy," Miriallia (ever the big sister) scolded, walking over and sitting next to Kira to check his temperature. "You're forehead's still warm. Okay, enough of that for today." The young Coordinator smiled weakly at her as she reached over and shut off his computer. "No more stressing. When we get to the lab, you're going to sit there and smile while the rest of us do the work for once, okay?"

"But I should-"

"But _what_?" Miriallia asked sweetly, giving her friend a warning smile. It was the smile that usually preceded a pillow-based takedown, during which she would whack her friends into submission and scold them until they were cowering under the bed in fear of her. She was very good at that.

"Nothing," Kira said, faux meekly. Immediately Miriallia smiled more normally and pulled him to his feet. Tolle was laughing the whole way. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up Tolle. See if you still find it funny when she turns it on you. Or when I do."

"You? Pssht. Kira, you couldn't hurt a fly."

 _I could. But I won't._ "Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, while I creep up on you."

The three laughed as a group, as they made their way down the sidewalk. Kira spotted a red car fly past them down the road, breaking the speed limit. For a second, his advanced mind allowed him to see Natarle Bagderule in the side seat. Kira felt her lip twitch upwards, which surprised him. Natarle had never liked him, and frankly he hadn't cared much about her as a result...but she deserved better than being shot to pieces by Azreal.

Kira was wound up in his thoughts, only to be snapped out of them when Miriallia called out, "Hey Flay!" His eyes snapped open and fell on the red haired girl, who was giggling with her friends and had just turned towards them.

Tolle turned to rib Kira about his crush, only to find his friend staring at Flay...not spellbound – but quietly awed mixed with sadness. It was a very mature expression, and wouldn't have been out of place on the face of someone seeing a phantom or ghost.

Kira just watched Flay in struck silence. His first love. What he felt for her now, he couldn't begin to figure out – it was a painful twist of emotions, roiling between his grief over being unable to save her, the confusion of being told she had manipulated his feelings before his 'death' via Athrun...seeing her alive, and happy, and relatively at peace with herself – not the broken wreck of a girl, consumed by rage and hatred after the death of her father who was her only family – it was so strange. Strange and wonderful.

"Hey, Flay, Kira's got something to tell you!"

That snapped him out of it, and prompted him to roll his eyes. Sure, Tolle was trying to help him, but come on – Sai was dating her right now. He was not about to re-enter that mess at the expense of a boy who had stuck by his side through all the nightmares the _Archangel_ had faced.

"No, I don't," Kira corrected politely but firmly, yanking his arm free of his well-meaning friend. Though when he looked at Flay again, this time his face more carefully natural, he knew that was, at least partially, a lie. "Well, it's only that you look amazing in that dress."

Flay giggled again, flattered, and curtsied to him. "Why thank you, Kira! Cissy chose it for me, she thought it matched my hair." Her friend beamed.

"It really does." Kira agreed. Flay's two friends gasped dramatically and looked suspiciously at each other, causing Kira to, again, roll his eyes and smile a bit at the innocence and absurdity of it all. If only secret or repressed feelings were the most dramatic sort of things being concealed inside Heliopolis...or on Earth, or ZAFT. The Universe would be a much happier place for it.

Tolle gave him a less than subtle wink, prompting both Kira and a disapproving Miriallia to elbow him simultaneously. Flay laughed playfully at Tolle's resulting poleaxed expression; it suited her so much better than the mask she had worn that he remembered.

"Why are you two picking on me?!"

"Because you're so immature!" Miriallia scolded, tossing Kira a sympathetic look. The boy just smiled and shook his head. _I've got control of it,_ he said silently. _Don't worry about me._ "C'mon. Let's go find Sai. Flay, you coming?"

"Oh, we were just leaving to go shopping. But I'll see you later Mir!" Flay promised, before running off with her friends. Kira, while he was walking away, looked over his shoulder and watched them leave until they vanished around the corner, with a small sad smile on his face.

Reaching the lab and going inside caused Kira to be hit with a wave of nostalgia. All of this was his home, the home he had longed to go back to when he knew he couldn't. His first step had to be to prevent Heliopolis from being completely destroyed. At least this time he knew better than to fire off the impulse canon while inside.

Sai greeted him with a smile, before asking about his health. "You still look pretty out of it." Kira had just smiled weakly and handed him the papers. Kuzzy was complaining about some uncooperative equipment on the other side, so Kira walked over and helped him.

He pretended not to notice Cagalli, his sister, leaning against the wall, trying not to stand out...though she did, even when mistaken for a boy. Kira hid a smile. That was Cagalli, though – she did nothing quietly.

The chatter of the classroom both soothed him and cleared his head. _This is what a soldier fights and dies for. Why can't you see this side of humanity, Rau? Have you felt enough pain that there's no room for sympathy for others in you?_ As he reconnected the wires that were giving Kuzzy trouble, Kira's expression grew even. _What is it one should be fighting against, huh...? I think a better question is, 'What is it one should fight_ for _?'_

Kira swept his gaze around the room, past Cagalli and Miriallia, Kuzzy and Sai and Tolle. And in his mind's eye, he saw Murrue and Mu, and Nicol, Dearka, Yzak...and Athrun.

The memory of Athrun, smiling, standing with him on that road full of cherry blossoms. His emerald green eyes...full of rage, of despair, of grief and betrayal, of rage and hatred...they were always intense and beautiful, the sign of everything that Athrun was, everything that made him _him._ The strength and the softness. The promise of loyalty and friendship broken and reborn strong.

 _I won't betray you. I'll fight for you, Athrun. The same way you fought for the PLANTs, and me. I swear, even the Devil himself wouldn't be able to reach you with me standing in between.  
_

The explosions still caught him by surprise – the great terrible rattle caused natural shocks, even without being connected to terrible memories. But this time he was up and moving almost instantly, pulling Kuzzy towards Sai and the others and pushing them towards the door, before anyone else had started to figure out what was going on.

Kira darted after Cagalli like an arrow, once he had assured himself that his friends were together and leaving. That much he needed to stay the same as it had the first time, or he risked them being separated or going into a lifepod – then god knew if he'd ever see them again. However, things weren't any different...yet. _Let this much stay the same!_

They were further underground when Cagalli stopped to catch her breath. Kira skidded to a halt and said, "You realize you're running _away_ from the nearest shelters, right?" He asked her with a mixture of worry and exasperation, which made him sound like the nuisance older brother he'd never had the chance to be before.

Cagalli whirled around and fixed him with a death glare, "Stop tailing me! You should head back and leave with the others-"

Another explosion wracked the building, and Kira could hear things collapsing in the back stairwell. _So much for that,_ he thought dryly. The winds blew Cagalli's hat off, and when Kira looked at her again she was once again the blonde haired princess who had called her father to bring the _Archangel_ into neutral waters where it could rest. However, _this_ time Kira managed to avoid being annoyingly surprised by her gender.

And judging by a flicker of surprise on her face, he might have scored a point with her.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Kira said. "I think that came from the stairwell."

"Go back anyway," Cagalli barked, turning to run. "There's something I have to check up on, on my own."

Kira couldn't help himself – a chuckle escaped his lips before he could stop it. As Cagalli swung around to glare fiercely at him again, he asked, "So you're running _toward_ the explosions? Alright. Okay then. But I'm going with you."

"What?! But you'll just-"

"That way's a dead end," Kira pre-empted her, taking her wrist and pulling her in a different direction than she had been running. Cagalli sputtered and opened her mouth for a particularly foul remark when he added, "Trust me; I _am_ the one who lives here!"

 ****~Cagalli's POV~****

This kid – some small part of Cagalli was saying that it was unfair to call a boy her age a kid, but she, as she often did, ignored it – had to be nuts, but he seemed to know where he was going. He pulled her along, easily ignoring her initial attempts to escape his grasp – which surprised her. Despite his leanness, he had a grip like cast iron.

"I didn't think...we'd get involved," She gasped out, after he ignored her third order to release him. She was sorely tempted to _order_ him to do so as princess, just because he was being so stubborn, but another explosion distracted her.

The kid had his back to her, but Cagalli swore she _heard_ his eyes narrow. "Yeah, I know...but war is a vacuum, like a black hole. Everything near it is sucked in. Even those who try to escape it."

"What?!" Cagalli got out after a second of shock, not having expected such a response. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The kid shook his head slightly. "I've been afraid of this for a while. There was nothing rational to it, but I had a feeling in my gut. I wish I had been wrong." He picked up the pace, and Cagalli stumbled a bit – how was he this fast? "C'mon, hurry – there are shelters under the factory district! There might still be space on one!"

 _This guy..._ Cagalli stared at the back of his head as they ran, wondering what kind of person she had just run into. A soldier? The child of a soldier? But what would someone like that be doing in a neutral colony?

They exploded into the lit room, on a balcony and railway above the factory; now a war zone between ZAFT and Earth Alliance ground forces. One that the ZAFT were winning, thanks to the element of surprise. Cagalli took one look at the contents of the room and her heart sank directly into her stomach. Lying on the ground, like grey knights of legend, were the new mobile suits.

Her new friend let out a rush of air, like he'd been kicked. "Gundams," He whispered, and his voice was almost reverent; like someone coming across a priceless artifact or a desperately needed tool. Had she been any less distraught at that moment, Cagalli would have been highly suspicious. But the sight in front of her only meant one thing.

"I knew it." She moaned, sinking to her shaking knees. "The Earth Forces prototype mobile suit weapons. _Father, I knew you betrayed us all!_ "

The boy let out a sharp gasp, grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her away, putting his body between her and the railing. Sharp bullets hit the wall where they had been standing as he pulled her towards the far wall. Cagalli blinked, _You're shielding me? But you don't know me! Why aren't you running and saving yourself?!_

"Crying won't help now – come on, run! We're almost there!" The boy encouraged her, his voice warm yet strong. He dragged her along, glancing over his shoulder at her as he bolted forward, one eye on the gunfire below. Watching for snipers.

They reached the other side and turned the corner, shielding them from the violence. The boy's eyes scanned the three doors and hit the intercom on the last one with a green light. "Is there any more room in here?!" He yelled. "I have a friend with me!"

"We can't take two-"

"There only has to be room for one, please!" Cagalli snapped her head over at him. The boy looked her in the eye for the second time. A pair of incredibly intense violet eyes bore into her soul, full of emotion yet utterly driven by purpose. Beautiful eyes, that could stop a girl's heart in their tracks (and quite possibly a boy's, for that matter). Eyes with incredible power in them.

"Get in," the boy with a warrior's eyes said. When she couldn't formulate a response immediately, he grabbed her by the shoulders, pulled her around and shoved her inside, to safety.

"I can't!" Cagalli shouted, trying to push back against him. "What about you-?"

"Don't worry about me." The boy said firmly. "I'll be fine. I'll go back around the other side." He gave her a sad smile, a very strange one that she couldn't place before he hit the button, closing the glass doors between them.

"Wait!" She protested, but the elevator hurtled downward, carrying her away from him.

 _Who are you?!_

 _ ****~Murrue Ramius's POV~****_

"Behind you!"

The strong young voice was her only warning, and it couldn't have been better timed. The bullet from the opposing ZAFT warrior ended up hitting the metal rail instead of burying itself in her head, and while she ran her machine gun out of ammo, she managed to drop the man before doing so. Lietenant Murrue Ramius turned around and looked up, to see a young man standing on the boardwalk.

"Its you again," She whispered, shocked he was still here. She had nearly shot him and his friend, yet he had yelled out, possibly drawing the attention of armed soldiers, in order to save her?

One of the men near her went down. Cursing, Murrue drew her side arm and drove to the right, shooting down the last ZAFT soldier near her. Then she looked up at the boy, who had winced and was standing frozen in place. "Come here!" She yelled.

The boy cast a glance over to the right – perhaps debating his chances of reaching the other shelters. Murrue knew it was no use, that area had been blown to hell. She was about to yell as much when the boy grabbed the iron bar and jumped over it. The fall would have probably crippled or killed a Natural, but he landed without issue, on both feet, and started making his way towards her.

Murrue's head whipped around when she heard a feral yell; a ZAFT soldier in a red uniform hurtled across the tarmac and shot down one of her subordinates. "Hamana!" She called out, which proved to be a mistake – the soldier swung his gun up and ended up shooting her in the shoulder.

The soldier started to approach, ditching his empty weapon for a combat knife...Murrue was still dizzy with the white hot pain going through her shoulder. But she did see the boy come and reach her, before darting out in front and standing between her and the soldier, arms raised protectively.

Murrue gaped, and stretched out a hand towards him, in a weak attempt to pull him away. _Are you crazy?! He'll kill you...!_

Faintly, so faintly she thought she was imagining it in her pain, but the boy seemed to say something... a name? Whatever it was, it stopped the other soldier in his tracks. Faintly, Murrue could see a young face behind that helmet, a mask of complete shock. He...almost seemed to take a step backwards. " _Kira_?"

In that moment, Murrue finally managed to reach her side arm again. She raised it, only to find the soldier already retreating...back towards the _Aegis_ , she realized with a heavy heart. She moved to push the boy into the cockpit, but was shocked to see him already scrambling inside. He reached out and helped her climb in, only to sit in the pilot sat himself, pressing various buttons.

"C'mon, c'mon, one of you has to close the hatch!" He said worriedly. A few button presses later – after activating the onboard cameras and the OS system first – the cockpit did close. The boy's eyes flickered over the keypad. "And...you must be the motion controls!"

Murrue gasped as the _Strike_ surged to its feet, immediately obeying the boy's commands. _He...he figured out the system that quickly?_

Who had she just met?

 _ ****~Kira's POV~****_

There was no point in pretending for very long he wasn't familiar with this machine; Kira knew he wasn't that good an actor. Thank god that Cagalli had been distracted by her emotions; he couldn't help but call out when he saw the _Strike_ lying there in the factory. Even though in the beginning he'd never wanted to pilot it, after everything he'd been through and experienced, seeing the _Strike_ was like seeing an old friend or family member.

As he had been 'hitting buttons' trying to close the cockpit, Kira had pulled up the OS. Now he was squinting at it, wincing, wondering how anyone could be expected to win with it in this shape. He pulled down the keyboard with one hand and walked with the other, taking them outside the doomed factory and into the sunlight. "This is insane! How could you run a machine as complex as this with such a basic OS?"

The Captain's response was the same as last time. "It's still in the prototype stage, it-it can't be helped!"

"Right," Kira muttered, putting both hands on the keyboard. Before going into rewriting, he cast his eyes over the various cameras until they settled on the _Aegis,_ and its fellow GINN – the first man Kira had ever killed. The first blood, standing near his first friend. Kira felt like that belonged in a soap opera somewhere.

But it was something of a good thing. The _Aegis_ was safe, and Athrun had claimed the _Aegis._ It suited him well. _Aegis_ meant 'Protector', and at his core, that's who Athrun was. Kira smiled fondly, which was absolutely ridiculous given the scenario and he hoped that Murrue hadn't noticed, but once again he found he couldn't help himself.

As he prepared to rewrite the OS, he noticed on the side camera another thing that made him gasp with relief. Sai, Tolle, Kuzzy and Miriallia, running for shelter just like last time. They were here with him! Spirits soaring, Kira tore apart the old OS like a starving hound finding food, rewriting and repairing it and turning it into something familiar. The machine growled softly, like a cat purring.

"Kid, he's coming!" Murrue warned him as the GINN drew its sword. "I should-"

"Please, miss, let me!" Kira said firmly. Again, the authority and strength in his voice startled Murrue into silence. He hit the Phase Shift button, causing the _Strike_ to explode into colour. Then he looked into the weapons and found the two daggers. "That's all?" He asked once again, though this time his voice was utterly deadpan as opposed to frightened and frustrated. "It'll have to do!"

The GINN charged at him. Kira stepped on the acceleration pad, sending the _Strike_ into the air and landing directly behind the man. _You're overexerting your thrust,_ Kira noted, before whipping around and stabbing the flight pack with the knife. Giving it a good wrench, he slashed the pack clean open, ripping away the GINN's flight capabilities.

To keep the opposing suit from exploding, he quickly flipped it onto the grass and diverted energy from the thrusters into the right arm. He located the general area of the GINN's engine, and proceeded to punch straight through it and rip the battery clean out. The system went dead, preventing the pilot's death which would have come seconds later thanks to the explosive energy from the pack overloading the system. So instead, Miguel ejected and the suit did not explode, since it wasn't able to. The ZAFT man fled.

Kira smiled again. _I've gotten better at this._ He noticed the _Aegis_ linger for a few seconds, frozen in stupefied surprise. He winced slightly. _I hope Athrun doesn't confuse my new proficiency for having been trained by the Earth Alliance. No, I better set that straight when I talk to him._ He swung the _Strike_ 's head around, to look for his friends. They were also frozen in shock, having seen the take down from the relative safety of a nearby building.

The _Aegis_ took off, leaving him with no reason to hide in the cockpit. Kira took a deep breath and opened it, stepping out and calling out to his friends, who all gaped comically when they recognized him. "Sai! Tolle! Guys, come this way! I need your help!"

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Yeah, Kira should probably try to be a bit more subtle, but at the moment all that matters to him is changing the scenario so he's almost throwing caution to the wind. His first self imposed task is preventing the utter destruction of Heliopolis after all.**_

 _ **Kira: No pressure...**_

 ** _Me: You'll be fine,_ _Almighty_** _ **Yamato.**_

 _ **Kira: (flushes bright red) Really?! You too!**_

 **Read and Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**STRIKE Reborn**

 _ **Me: OKAY. More of the plot has been hammered out, and I'm very amused with the direction I plan to take this story in once I reach the proverbial halfway point. While I am interested in the suggestion that I turn Athrun into a girl -**_

 _ **Athrun: Wait, you were going to WHAT?**_

 _ **Me: (ignoring him) -I've decided that, since this isn't an alternate universe, he's going to stay a boy. There won't be any romance for a while yet, given the circumstances, and I'm sorry about that - but the stations of canon demand it.**_

 _ **Athrun: Me...a girl...?**_

 _ **Me: It was you or Kira. I'll make one of you a girl for my second planned story, Starfall and its sequel - which will either be a crossover with Gundam Wing, or Gundam 00...00's looking pretty cool. That one will also ship Athrun x Kira. It's my next priority once I've finished a story.**_

 _ **Athrun: (turns as red as his jacket) What-but-I don't-**_

 _ **Me: You need to blush more often. It's cute on you!**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed.**

 **Chapter 2: The Sky is Falling**

"Wow, you piloted this thing? It looks incredible!"

"It's also dangerous, Tolle. No, I'm not letting you sit in the cockpit...you might end up blowing something up."

"Oh, come on! Just for a minute!"

"It belongs to the Earth Forces." Kira told him. Kuzzy and Sai both gasped. Kira nodded at them and said, "I'm not sure what they or the ZAFT are doing here, but that's what that battle was about. There were four others, but they were stolen. We probably need to wait and see what the Earth Forces Officer says when she wakes up again."

"Why? We aren't involved," Sai protested, faltering when he saw Kira's sad expression. "R-Right?"

"Now that we've seen this thing? I don't know." Kira glanced over towards Miriallia, who was sitting next to Murrue on the bench. The woman seemed to be stirring. "C'mon. Let's at least find out what's going on out here..."

" **HAZARD LEVEL HAS BEEN RAISED TO EIGHT. ALL CITIZENS MUST EVACUATE. FIND THE SHELTER NEAREST TO YOU..."**

"I can't believe this is happening," Kuzzy whispered as they started walking across the grounds. Kira closed his eyes. Kuzzy had called Heliopolis his home for most of his life; he'd been born here, only visiting Orb for holidays. And right now, it was on the edge of being blown up. Kira wasn't certain he'd be able to salvage Heliopolis, but goddamn it he was going to try.

Sure enough, Murrue was waking up just as Kira and his friends reached her. "Oh, that's good," Miriallia said sincerely, holding out a water bottle. "Here, this might help."

Murrue groaned softly; Kira knelt down and helped her sit up straight. It was amazing that the Captain could function so well, since the bullet wound was still fresh and she hadn't been given any painkillers. But that was Murrue for you. Dedicated and relentless.

Tolle and Kuzzy kept glancing back at the _Strike_. "Why do you suppose it turned grey?" Tolle wondered. "The main battery must be dead..." Kuzzy.

"The anti beam weapon armour has been deactivated," Kira said thoughtlessly, and immediately cursed himself.

Murrue's eyes hardened a bit. "So you know. You see the problem there, don't you?"

"I see a potential one," Kira responded warily. "But you don't need to be afraid of us, miss. We're just a couple of college students."

"Who have seen classified military secrets." Murrue drew her gun, causing Miriallia to yell out in fear. Tolle ran to her side, while Kira straightened up and stepped in-between his friends and the lethal weapon. He knew that Murrue wouldn't shoot them, but none of his friends did, and he wanted to make it clear exactly why he was fighting. Her eyes widened slightly at the gesture for a moment before she hid her emotions behind a stern mask. "All of you line up over here, and tell me your names."

"Sai Argile." "Kuzzy Buzzkirk." "Miriallia Haw." "Tolle Koeng."

Kira regarded Murrue in silence for a moment, violet eyes unreadable. "Kira Yamato." He said.

 _ ****~Murrue's POV~****_

Murrue stared uneasily at him for a moment. _This kid..._ For a few minutes, she had been certain he was some sort of soldier given how quickly he had taken to the _Strike_ , but...she didn't recognize the name, and there weren't any soldiers in Heliopolis aside from the ones the EA had brought there. And now he was standing with a group of friends, looking for all the world like a normal (if someone jaded and suspicious) teenaged boy. "I am Lieutenant Murrue Ramius of the Earth Alliance."

"Kira saved you, and your pointing a gun at him?" The other brown haired boy, Koegn, burst out. "Some gratitude, lady!"

"Tolle, don't," Yamato hissed, pushing the boy further behind him. To act as a shield between him and the gun. "Don't provoke her."

 _Provoke,_ like she was an angry bear or lion they had stumbled across who would kill them if they moved too quickly. Murrue resisted the urge to wince. Was that what they thought of the EA right now? Though a quick look around the smoking, burning colony gave her the answer; her army had taken advantage of clauses in the treaty and had brought violence to their home. Shaking her head and calling on her training, Murrue said, "It's my unfortunate duty to inform you that I can't allow any of you to leave."

"WHAT?!" The kids chorused, shocked and indigent, but Kira Yamato's face remained grim and set. He seemed to have expected as much.

"Given the situation, you've all been exposed to an Alliance Military secret weapon." She looked at him sternly, "And one of you has not only been inside the cockpit, but actually used it in pitched combat."

"It was that or die, wasn't it?" Yamato fired back calmly, frowning at her. The kid's eyes and voice were very steady, despite having a gun pointed at his face. He didn't seem to believe she was going to shoot him.

"I recognize that," Murrue said firmly, "but until I can get in contact with the right authorities, who can decide how the situation will be handled, you will all have to stay with me at all times."

"But wait a minute!" The other boy, Sai Argile, protested. "We're citizens of Heliopolis. That means we're Neutral! You can't just pull us into your war; we live here because we want nothing to do with it or the military!"

"Yeah," Koegn added, "What's the Alliance doing here? That's the thing that doesn't make sense. That's how all this got started!"

"You said it. Isn't this a violation of the treaty?" Buzzkirk joined in.

"What will happen to our home?" Miss Haw sounded scared. "Those ZAFT men, are they going to come back? Are they going to destroy Heliopolis like the EA destroyed Junius Seven because there were soldiers here?"

That final question hit Murrue like a punch squarely between the eyes, and Yamato must have seen it because he pulled the girl over to his side and pushed her behind him, arms slightly outstretched to shield her from any violence. Were she less distracted, she would have been struck by his bravery and loyalty towards these four.

"Can you really call yourselves neutral now that you've seen, and piloted, this machine?" Murrue snapped, desperate to maintain her calm. "The fact is, I doubt that ZAFT have retreated. It's only a matter of time, and if you leave to find shelters you'll likely find yourself caught in the crossfire once again. Remain here, and I and my fellow soldiers can keep you safe."

The children stopped clamoring at that, and simply settled for looking anxious.

 _This is our fault,_ Murrue thought guiltily. _They should be in school, not wrapped up in this disaster._ Shaking her head, she started to deliver orders. "There is a truck containing a weapons pack for the _Strike_ that we need to get in contact with. Kira Yamato, I want you to go into the cockpit and try and hail the transport men, and the _Archangel_."

"The Archangel?" The boy asked, seeking clarification.

"It's a warship, also developed by Morganrate." Murrue tried to ignore Sai Argile's unimpressed stare and Miss Haw's look of disbelief. "Some of our other personal should be onboard. I want you to try and reach them so they can join us. And hopefully turn this disaster around."

"If I do this for you, do you promise you'll keep my friends safe?" Yamato asked her firmly.

"Kira!" Miss Haw said in worry. Koegn and Buzzkirk both looked at him in fear and awe.

Murrue paused, and then nodded shortly. "Alright then," Yamato said, those dark violet eyes never changing. They seemed so mature, so strong. He turned to his friends and said, "Do what she says; it's probably our best option at the moment."

"If...If you say so, Kira." Argile submitted. "Just be careful in that thing."

Yamato smiled wryly; like he felt he'd been asked a rather unfair question. "I'll do my best." He turned and walked briskly towards the Gundam Weapon.

Again Murrue wondered for a moment if this boy was a soldier, or a buried ZAFT infiltrator – but then why was he helping her? He could have easily pitched her from the cockpit while she was injured and taken the _Strike_ for himself, but he hadn't. It would make no sense for ZAFT to play a card like that, when they had already stolen four of the suits and had the full advantage. And he couldn't have entered the EA at his age without extensive documentation, so she would have known about him coming in.

So who was he?

 _ ****~Kira's POV~****_

" _Archangel_ , this is X105 Strike. Do you read me?"

Static greeted him. Kira wasn't surprised. So so far, nothing dramatic had changed...hopefully the weapons pack would arrive on time too, then. Somewhere outside, Rau Le Creuset was fighting with Commander Mu. Kira squeezed his hand reflexively at the thought. What would happen if he did manage to kill Creuset here? Azrael wouldn't be able to get the counter for the N-Jammers, but he and Patrick Zala would be left to their own devices to try and finish this war...that, and if he failed to kill Creuset immediately, the snake might take a closer interest in him than he did last time...

Kira shook his head. He couldn't think like that, or else he'd be paralyzed with indecision whenever an important event occurred.

Climbing out of the cockpit, he wired down and walked over to Murrue. "Nothing but static. I don't know if they can hear me at all, but if they responded I couldn't make it out." He reported.

The whir of a truck sounded; Kira smothered a relieved smile as Sai drove up with the _Strike_ 's weapons packs in tow. Sai climbed out and walked over to them. "The number 5 trailer, that's the one you asked for right?"

"Yes." Murrue confirmed. Miriallia had cleaned up her shoulder wound as best she could; she had some nurse training and would probably make just as good a medic as she did mission control. Kira was always glad she had his back.

"So what now?" Sai asked, with a hard edge to the question. Tolle and Kuzzy were over at the truck, shifting back and forth uncomfortably. "What do you want us to do now?"

Murrue ignored his tone – either accepting it or not rising to it, Kira couldn't be sure – and turned towards Kira. "Mount the Striker Pack. And please, Kira, try to contact the _Archangel_ one more time."

So she was still using his first name already. That was nice. Kira nodded. "Alright."

Sai glanced at her, and then ran to keep up with him as he walked over to the Strike. "You're taking this really well, Kira."

"Am I? I'm trying to stay strong, but I'm terrified," Kira said bluntly – and honestly. One slip up could doom his precious friends, both here and the in ZAFT. He pressed his nails into the palms of his skin, raising his shaking hand up near his face. "I just think, if I'm allowed to use this thing I'll be able to protect you guys from what's coming."

"Kira..." Sai had nothing to say to that for a moment. "You shouldn't have to..."

"Maybe not. But the situation being what it is...I will." Kira said firmly.

"But the EA owes it to us to protect us." Sai protested. "We shouldn't be involved."

"But we are involved, Sai," Kira said. "I mean, what do you think ZAFT is going to say when news about this goes public? They'll probably say our neutrality is forfeit because the EA was allowed to build weapons for their army in our factory district." _That will most certainly be Patrick Zala's opinion._ "And if that happens, our best chance is to get to ORB. Hopefully these EA officers will take us there after this."

Sai didn't look happy at that thought. "But we're just civilians. They wouldn't..."

Kira's mind flashed back to Yzak shooting down the civilian shuttle in the atmosphere. In the end, he'd found out that the silver haired berserker had assumed they were fleeing soldiers, but still... "Well, I wouldn't like to find out they would from a defenceless transport ship."

"Man, that's morbid Kira." Tolle said, as they been walking close.

"War is morbid," Kira noted. "You guys stick together, and stay near the truck, okay? It could provide cover if ZAFT comes back."

Climbing into the _Strike_ , Kira pulled down the keypad once again before grabbing the controls and walking the machine over to the truck. As he began to mount the Striker pack – he knew them both by heart – he started modifying the _Strike_ further. Adjusting movement calibration, further upgrading the targeting computer...Kira had learned a lot during the war the first time around, and he wanted to improve the _Strike_ 's condition as much as possible. While mounting the pack, a thought hit him – maybe he could find a way to change the shot terminus on the Impulse canon? It was risky, but it might soften the blow to the colony if he missed Rau again.

The pack was just coming to life when another loud crack snapped Kira into the present. Immediately he hit the Phase Shift button and swung around to scan the sky.

There it was. Creuset's CGUE. Chasing Mu across the sky. Kira sucked in a sharp breath; all at once he was assaulted by horrible memories of the things this man had done. Flay's shuttle exploding flashed in front of his waking eyes, following imprints of Junius Seven and the destruction of the Eighth Fleet. The Genisis and the Nukes.

For a second, Kira remained totally paralyzed with shock and fear, his ears ringing. But Miriallia screamed in fear, he heard it over the speakers and his mind snapped back into focus that would have made SEED mode proud. " **Get behind the Strike!"** He shouted over the loudspeaker.

Murrue ran over to his friends and they all crowded around near the truck like he had told them. Kira put the Strike in a bracing stance.

Creuset's mobile suit dove towards him, gun blazing. Kira knelt, shielding his friends from the blasts – and this time fired back with the head-mounted machine guns. He had augmented the power in the guns slightly. Creuset was forced to abruptly fly up to avoid serious damage, though the left arm on his suit was now suffering malfunctions.

Kira watched him fly up and his was moving to unload the impulse canon when a massive explosion rocked the entire colony. As he scanned the horizon he saw a familiar red and white figure emerge from the smoking bay like a phoenix. The _Archangel_ had escaped her confinement.

Grinning, and given new determination, Kira swung the canon down and pointed it up towards Rau's CGUE. _If I synchronize it with the Archangel's attack, I might be able to corner him. It's worth a shot!_ Summoning the targeting system and dialing down the canon's distance limiter by two degrees, he aimed for a second...and fired ahead of his target as he flew to escape the missiles from the archangel.

The blow tore both the legs off Creuset's suit, and the force of the impact jarred his already damaged arm loose. The plasma beam went through him but dissipated just an inch from the colony wall, leaving a series of cracks but not blowing a hole straight through it like last time. Instead, the CGUE bolted for a different hole out into space, this one caused by the _Archangel_. Kira fired at him a second time, but missed – the man had stepped on the gas in order to escape.

 _Damn it!_ Kira cursed, lowering the canon. _I was so close...!_

He glanced around the cameras again. His friends, Murrue included, were staring at him in shock and awe. Meanwhile, both the Archangel and Mu's Mobile Armour were descending towards them. Kira took a deep breath and slung the canon back over the _Strike's_ back.

 _It's starting,_ he thought. _I'll be a while before I get another opportunity, unless I really shake things up. But right now, it's important that I get my friends aboard the Archangel, and we get out of Heliopolis. Enough damage has been done._

 **Aboard the Archangel~**

Kira gently placed the _Strike's_ hands on the floor of the launch deck, allowing Miriallia, Sai, Kuzzy, Tolle and Murrue to climb off. Natarle was running their way with the other men who had survived the initial attack. Kira examined the deck for a moment, taking it in. The _Archangel_ had basically been his home for that hectic year, and it was...rather comforting, to be back on board. He spotted Mu coming closer, and opened the cockpit. _Well, we've gotten this far, Strike,_ he thought. _Let's hope that's a good sign._

He heard the ship crew muttering as he took the cable down. It was weird enough that he was young, the fact he had pulled off 'that shot' as they were calling it only added to the weirdness. When he hit the ground, Tolle and Miriallia both crowded near him with Sai and Kuzzy on their heels. "That was _amazing!"_ Tolle hooted, clapping him on the shoulder. "The way you shot that thing out of the sky and sent it running, that was _amazing_!"

 _If I'd been a bit more amazing, I would have removed a terrible threat to the universe. But thank you anyway, Tolle._ "I guess so."

"You _guess_?" Tolle sputtered, causing Miriallia and Kuzzy to laugh. The brown haired girl reached over and fondly messed with Kira's hair, causing the boy to let out an undignified squawk that earned some genuine chuckles from nearby soldiers.

"That's just like Kira. Downplaying everything," Mir said fondly. "You could bring peace to the universe and still say it 'wasn't a big deal'."

Kira opened and closed his mouth, searching for a response, before settling for pouting. He swore he saw Murrue smiling at that out of the corner of his eye. "Mir, that's not fair. How am I supposed to live up to that?"

The girl just laughed again and gave him a hug. "You don't have to live up to anything. The normal you is pretty incredible!"

Tolle nodded and Sai smiled, and Kira felt warm inside his heart.

"Wow, what a surprise." Mu walked towards the group. Kira heard Sai gasp quietly; leave it to his friend to immediately recognize the 'Hawk of Endymion'. It had taken him a while to make that connection the first time around, which was a little embarrassing in retrospect. "I'm Lieutenant Mu la Flaga of the Seventh Orbital Fleet, at your service. It's an honour."

Murrue and Natarle both saluted him. "Ensign Natarle Badgerule." "Lieutenant Murrue Ramius."

"Whoa..." Sai whispered. Kira nodded empathetically. _Mu was pretty amazing,_ he remembered, watching Mu discuss the situation they were in with the captain.

"I would like permission to come aboard. May I ask who's in charge?"

The two women exchanged grimaces. "The Captain and all the superior officers of this ship have perished in battle. Therefore I believe it's Lieutenant Ramius who's next in command." Natarle said. Murrue looked surprised. "Only about a dozen of us are left, mostly non-comissioned officers. Fortunately, I was in the shaft and managed to survive."

"Man, what an unmitigated disaster," Mu lamented. "In any case, please grant me permission Lieutenant Ramius. The ship I was assigned to engaged the enemy and was downed."

Kira bit his lip, wondering what might have happened if he'd gotten these memories a few days earlier. _It might not have helped,_ his mind said. _They probably wouldn't have believed you, or worse, mistaken you for a ZAFT spy. It's better to work with what you know._

"Uh, sure. Permission granted."

"And, uh, who's that?" Mu said, turning towards Kira and his friends.

The young man took a breath. He was grateful that the cast and crew of the Archangel were bereft of Blue Cosmos members – probably one of the few ships in the Alliance fleet that could boast that – but he was still a little nervous, just like last time. Come across as too abrasive or angry and they might not trust him with the Strike.

Tolle put a supportive hand on his shoulder, frowning at the officers.

"As you can see," Murrue hesitated for a moment, "He's a teenaged school boy. For some reason, he was in the factory district during the attack. I brought him aboard the G-Weapon. His name is Kira Yamato."

"Huh," Mu remarked, before turning and walking towards Kira. Kira squared his shoulders and straightened up a bit, while Miriallia and Tolle pressed closer to him. Sai and Kuzzy mainly looked nervous; they still didn't really trust the EA and didn't like being aboard the ship.

"With his assistance, we were able to down a ZAFT GINN... in remarkable speed. Without him, I may not have been able to secure this final unit." Murrue finished.

"Fought of a GINN? Quickly? An untrained kid?" Natarle said, mild disbelief in her voice. Kira resisted the urge to smile, or be annoyed. At this point, GINNs were child's play. Even a somewhat experienced pilot like Miguel couldn't compete with the likes of Andrew Watfeld, Yzak Joule, Shinn Asuka, Athrun Zala or Rau le Creuset.

Mu paused in front of Kira and examined him for a moment. "So tell me; you're a Coordinator aren't you?"

Kira elicted a chours of gasping when he immediately nodded to the affirmative. "Yes. I'm a first generation Coordinator who calls Heliopolis home." He said simply.

A couple of nervous officers pointed their guns at him. Angry, Tolle stomped in between them and snapped out, "Some gratitude you people have! Kira saved your commander, saved your G-Weapon and drove off at least two GINNs, and you're pointing guns at him just because he's a Coordinator? Are you kidding me?!"

"Tolle," Kira said in concern, but Tolle ignored him, glaring at the men. They shifted nervously, a couple lowering their guns and looking at the Lieutenant for instructions.

"Lower your goddamn weapons! Why would you point those things at a teenager?" Murrue scolded angrily. The men did as instructed and backed up, thoroughly cowed. Kira smiled a bit in response, muttering "Thanks Tolle."

 _ ****~On the Vesalius – Athrun's POV~****_

"You really saved my hide bringing this footage back, Miguel." Commander le Creuset said, floating in front of a view screen. The screen was showing the just-recently-activated _Strike's_ one minute takedown of Miguel's GINN. The soldier in question winced, embarrassed at how easily he had been trounced by some EA soldier. "If I didn't have this as proof, I would have been a laughing stock for letting my unit be torn apart by a weapon of the Earth Force's. If I had been any slower, I'd likely be dead."

Athrun Zala, pilot of the _Aegis_ and current soldier of ZAFT, stared at the footage, his face mostly neutral. Inside, however, he was deeply troubled – and if you knew him well enough, you could see it in his expressive green eyes.

When he'd seen Commander le Creuset's unit stumble back into the Vesalius, sans two legs and most of an arm, he could hardly believe his eyes – nor could anyone else, for that matter. The Commander was one of their best Mobile Suit users; seeing him get mauled like that was sobering to say the least.

And Kira did that? His Kira Yamato, the shy boy who cried a lot, who hated violence and shied away from it, was in the cockpit of that...monster? His heart rebelled against the idea that Kira was capable of this – if only because he didn't want to know _where_ he'd become that talented – but he had _seen_ the boy. Even though they'd lived apart for several years, he'd known the boy immediately when he jumped forward to protect that Earth forces officer.

"I'm sure you're all aware of the incomplete status of the original OS," Rau went on. "With that in mind, I have no idea why this one unit manoeuvred with such precision."

 _I might_. Athrun thought. _I pray that I'm wrong...please, let it be_ anyone _but him._

"But I want to make one thing perfectly clear." Rau said darkly. "If this pilot is truly so dangerous, then we cannot allow him to rejoin the Earth Forces properly with that weapon. If we cannot capture him and the _Strike_ , then we shall destroy it, along with that new warship."

Athrun grimaced, and hoped that no one else had noticed.

"Don't underestimate it," Rau warned the group, his words aimed primarily at Miguel who was still seething from being humiliated earlier that day.

"Miguel, Olar, head out. We've been authorized to use weapons configuration D." The Captain said. Athrun suppressed a wince. _For inside Heliopolis? Those weapons can take down bases!_ "Let's see you put an end to this."

"Sir!" The three older pilots went on ahead.

Athrun stayed behind for a moment before turning towards the captain. He had to know if the _Strike_ was being piloted by Kira for sure. He had to. "Sir, please allow me to sortie as well."

"You have no mobile suit," Rau pointed out, looking curious. "Besides, you've already achieved a crucial mission by securing one of those mobile suits."

"But sir-" Athrun said before stalling, unsure of how to articulate how important this was without giving Kira away.

"Let the others go this time, Zala." The Captain said.

"Yessir," Athrun said, though in his mind he was already plotting to sneak out with the Archangel. He would just have to dodge Nicol, Dearka and Yzak to make his way to the hanger.

 _ ****~Back with Kira, on the Archangel~****_

"When did you have time to rewrite the OS?"

"I didn't really have time. Being shot at does wonders for mental speed, I found out." Kira answered Kuzzy's question with a nervous shrug. They were sitting in the crew quarters, having been sent there by Acting Captain Ramius as the officers tried to figure out how they were going to deal with the situation they were in. They had bombarded him with questions the moment they were finally alone, and he was doing his best to answer them.

He knew at the back of his mind that he should probably be getting some rest, but his mind was buzzing knowing that he was going to see Athrun soon – that and he'd need to protect the Archangel again. He'd get some rest after they escaped the colony.

"God, how'd you manage that? It was all we could do not to be frozen in terror!" Tolle remarked. "Is that a Coordinator thing?"

"Er, not really – I don't think so, anyway. I guess it was all in the adrenaline," Kira deflected, wondering how he was going to tackle the whole 'ultimate coordinator' mess later. _Save that problem for later,_ he told himself.

"How'd you take down that GINN?"

"I...I saw you guys on the ground, from the machine's cameras." Kira said quietly. Miriallia gasped, and sat down next to him. "I, I just knew I had to protect you, so I took control of the machine. Everything just sort of made sense. I scanned the GINN and found the weak spots on its armour, and exploited them."

Miriallia gave him a hug. "Well you succeeded, Kira. It's okay now." She smiled warmly. "And thank you."

"You don't have to say thanks for that," Kira murmured, leaning his head against her shoulder.

"You're tired, aren't you?" Miriallia commented. Kira nodded. "Then how about you lie down and get some rest...you've done a lot today, and I'm afraid we might not be out of the woods yet."

Tolle snorted, recognizing the underlying threat in the girl's voice. "Listen to Mir, Kira, or she might just knock you out when your back's turned."

"You're all picking on me," Kira grumbled, earning chuckles from all his friends. Miriallia lightly pushed him down by the shoulders so he was lying down on the bunk they had been sitting on. She wrapped half the blanket over his shoulders for good measure, until Kira was too comfortable to argue. "Fine. But wake me up if trouble rolls in."

"I think you wouldn't be able to miss it," Sai murmured.

As Kira fell asleep, and his friends fussed over him, the three highest ranking officers were talking on the bridge of the machine.

"Man, for a kid with no official combat training, he sure gave it as good as it gets to those people." Mu commented when Murrue finished describing the 'battle' against the ZAFT GINN from when it had come online.

"You're sure he's just a normal civilian?" Natarle asked, a little skeptical given what he had accomplished.

"If he had been ZAFT, he would have simply left with the G-Weapon. To do anything else would be silly, given the circumstances." Murrue said firmly. Natarle looked down, chastised. "Why set a trap for someone you can defeat with all five G-Weapons at your disposal?"

"Speaking _of_ those kids, what are we going to do with them?" Mu asked. "The colony interior is almost a hundred percent evacuated. Likely there aren't any shelters we can toss them into on the way out." He raised an eyebrow at the Captain.

The woman let out a long sigh. "I think we may need to rely on the power of the _Strike_ to help us get to Alaska." She said with an air of sorrow. It was her fault that the boy had gotten involved; he had been looking for a shelter and only stopped to help _her_ , and in response she had gotten him involved in the war.

"That kid?" Natarle asked. "Lieutenant la Flaga, couldn't you pilot it instead?"

"What, are you kidding me? Have you taken a look at what that kid's done to the OS? A normal human couldn't possibly grasp it anymore. I swear he's almost personalized it, though I don't know enough about computers to say for sure." Mu responded.

"Well..." Natarle trailed off. The original OS was utterly inferior to what the boy had created; likely it wouldn't stand a chance against stronger opponents. "Isn't it irresponsible to put a civilian in the cockpit of an important alliance weapon?"

"Extremely," Murrue said unhappily. "But I can't see any other way. He's the only Coordinator on board. I can only pray he'll be willing to help us."

"Are we taking the kids along, then?" Mu didn't look pleased. "once we get outside, we'll be involved in some pretty heavy fighting."

"They'll have to stay until we link up with the 8th fleet," Murrue said decisively. "Then, they'll be able to board a shuttle that will take them to ORB. Likely that's where the shelters will be headed, if the hazard level rises any further."

"Their parents are going to write an angry warrant when they find out about this," Mu remarked mildly. He didn't blame them; he didn't have any children, but he imagined that if he _did_ , the idea of them being on a warship because of military incompetence would not be warmly received. He'd _probably_ end up throwing a chair out the window, if he was honest with himself.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it...this is the best way for them to stay safe now." Murrue got up from her chair. "Lets see if we can get a bridge crew organized. Since we're understaffed, the most important stations take precedence."

 _ **~Line Break – Later~****_

Kira woke up when the ship shuddered – it was moving again, he realized. They were trying to leave the colony. "Guys?" He asked, sitting up.

Sai leaned over, a worried expression on his face. "The Captain wants to talk to you," He said. "It's about...that thing, the _Strike_."

"I see," Kira said neutrally. _Thank you, Mir, for forcing me to rest. My head is a lot clearer now._ He got up and walked out into the hallway.

"Kira Yamato," Murrue started, before pausing, a nervous look on her face. "I'm guessing you're aware of the situation we're in. I'm here to ask you...to pilot the _Strike,_ until we reach Alaska."

Kira frowned. He would have agreed immediately, but he didn't want his friends to think he was recklessly jumping into conflict. "Why, Captain? Why are you asking me? I'm a neutral citizen...I don't want to be a part of the war."

Murrue closed her eyes for a second. "You're the only one who can use it in the state that its in." She said, a hint of pleading in her voice. "ZAFT will hit us again, and they'll have greater forces."

"Doesn't a war ship this big have guns on it?" Kira asked.

"Yes of course, but it's still one ship, and likely we'll be greatly outnumbered." The ship tilted to the right, and Murrue winced. "Please, Kira. I'm only asking you because I have no other option."

"Can't the Earth Forces reinforce you?" Kira asked. He frowned again. "Or are there no forces nearby, to pretend that you haven't parked those G-Weapons here?"

Murrue flinched. "I guess not. ...Grr. My friends," Kira said, waving his hand angrily towards the four in question, eyes blazing. "What will happen to them? _Will you be able to keep them safe without the Strike?_ "

"I..." Murrue looked down for a moment, battered and guilty, before saying quietly, "I can't guarantee it. I'm sorry."

Kira clenched his fists. "Then I've got no choice. Where's the hanger?"

"Kira!" Tolle and Sai said worriedly. Miriallia gasped. Kira turned towards them and smiled sadly.

"Don't worry guys. I'll give it everything I have. You're going to be alright. We're going to get to safety. I swear it!" He then turned and sprinted down the hallway after a shaken Murrue gave him the directions – not that he needed them.

It didn't take him long to reach the elevator, and he headed straight down to the hanger. His heart was thumping painfully, and his hand went into his pocket. Kira drew out the paper, on which he had drawn the reverse bladed sword he had seen in his dreams of the future. He looked at it until the elevator hit the hanger, drawing resolve from it. Then he headed for the _Strike_. The G-Weapon loomed in front of him, and he climbed aboard, mounting the Aile pack. _It doesn't have a dulled side,_ he thought, _but it's the one I need_. When the launch path was clear, he hurtled into the air, activating the boosters and flying towards the familiar four pack of GINNs. Two of them peeled off to attack the Archangel itself, while the last one and the _Aegis_ waited for him to draw close.

Miguel's eyes narrowed when he saw the _Strike_ appear. "You! You're going down!" He seethed, before charging at the machine. The _Aegis_ hung back; he wondered why Athrun was pausing, when he was so gung ho about facing this thing that he defied orders to join the attack.

Kira drew his sword and circled around the GINN. _Come on, come in close. You know that gun can't do anything to me with Phase Shift activated._ He goaded silently.

He weaved around, diving so he was at the same altitude as the GINNs attacking the Archangel in order to discourage Miguel from using the pulse canon. The GINN pilot growled in response. "Coward!" He pushed the machine forward, unknowingly falling into Kira's trap.

Kira knocked the charging GINN aside with one sword swipe, before reaching back and grabbing the beam boomerang from its resting place. _I didn't use this nearly enough last time._ He flew to the right, and Miguel fired the beam canon at him again. Kira blocked it with the armoured gauntlet on the right hand, before throwing the weapon through the resulting blaze of light.

Miguel had no idea what happened. For a second, he thought he had gotten the enemy machine – then a spinning blade had shot out of the attack, smashing through his GINN's leg. Then the Strike itself burst through the cloud, cleaving through the torso of his machine with a clean stroke, with no more effort than someone cutting bread. The warrior caught the upper torso of the machine with one hand, before turning and pitching it towards the _Archangel_. Miguel shrieked loudly in fear, sure he was going to be blown to bits.

Matthew saw the state his friend was in and immediately abandoned his current task. "Miguel!" He flew over, caught the ruined GINN, and looked over towards the _Strike_. The machine had just caught its rebounding weapon and was now facing them. The fire from the _Archangel_ was getting stronger at the same time. Olar had just been shot down.

Kira swore and banked hard to the right; the _Aegis_ was approaching. "Get out of there!" Athrun told the older ZAFT pilots. "You can't do anything in that state!"

"Damn it!" Matthew swore, but he saw the wisdom and bolted for the broken open skylight of Heliopolis.

 _Less damage to the colony, but its still in bad shape! I'd say this is still a level 10 hazard. Man. Well no one said this was going to be easy..._ Kira brought his sword up to bear as the _Aegis_ hurtled towards him. The two clashed blades and moved past each other, before turning around and pausing as the battle raged around them.

 _ ****~Athrun's POV~****_

Athrun had to admit – he hadn't been afraid of anything for a long time, but the way the _Strike_ easily tore apart Miguel's much better armed GINN, without suffering a scratch of damage, had given him goosebumps. The manipulative way the machine had moved, discouraging the older man from using the beam canons, had actually protected the damaged colony from further abuse. All while in life or death combat. All marks of a brilliant pilot.

He reached out and activated the comm system, hailing the opposing Mobile Suit. "Kira. Kira Yamato!" He yelled into the mic.

The response was immediate. "Athrun?"

Athrun let out a shaky breath. He knew that voice as well as he knew his own. The last time he had heard it was on a road covered in cherry blossoms. The voice was tentative, almost afraid – yet...also hopeful.

"So it is you," He said, his heart sinking. _No..._ "Isn't it, Kira?!"

"Athrun?" Kira's voice rose, and Athrun felt his heart skip. His old friend didn't sound scared, or confused, or betrayed. He sounded excited, and almost joyful – as if he was seeing someone he had thought was lost to him forever. "Athrun Zala?!"

The broken scar in Heliopolis was beginning to create a massive vacuum from space. It wasn't big enough to rip the colony open, but the two Gundams were drifting dangerously close to it...which they didn't seem to realize. They were paying more attention to each other.

"Athrun...it's really you..." Kira's voice suddenly became more upset. "Athrun...you...you're not part of this, are you? Please! Tell me you're not here to destroy my home!"

Athrun flinched in his seat. "I'm not – I didn't mean," Suddenly he found himself remembering another destroyed colony, the one that was his very reason for being here. _No...I'm not like that, am I?_ "I'm only here to take the G-Weapons! Nothing more."

"Oh...thank god..." He could almost hear Kira smiling in relief. "Sorry...I had to ask."

"You...Kira, what do you think you're _doing_ in that thing?!"

It was insane. Kira didn't belong in a mobile suit. He didn't belong in a war. He was gentle, he was kind, he cried easily yet he tried to be supportive of Athrun whenever _he_ was upset. Kira was a Coordinator! Why...why was he with the EA?

The EA...what had they done to get him to join them!?

Any further discussion was broken up by the vacuum of space. It dragged both mobile suits out of the colony and threw them into space.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Oh, Kira...that was pretty manipulative. I know what you're trying to go for, but that's kind of mean.**_

 _ **Kira: Well I had to say something...and I want him to rebel against Rau! I'll do whatever I need to, in order to plant those doubts. The sooner he's back with me, the happier I'll be.**_

 _ **-chuckles- No kidding, huh?**_

 _ **Kira: (blushes) You know what I mean!**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**STRIKE Reborn**

 _ **Me: To my prickly reviewer - this story really is mine, I just impulsively took it down when school started. I thought I'd stretched myself out too much. However, I reuploaded it with a change of heart. I do apologize for that, I'm not sure what I was thinking.**_

 _ **Rau le Creuset: You weren't. That's your problem.**_

 _ **Me: I don't pay you to criticize me...**_

 _ **Rau le Creuset: You don't pay me at all. Not that I would let that stop me. You humans are all-**_

 _ **Me: You really like talking, don't you? (psychically mutes him)**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed.**

 **Chapter 3: Across the Stars**

Kira winced as he blinked his eyes open. _Damn, I forgot how sudden that was. Ow, my head.._ Ruefully he reached up and rubbed the back of his head, which had been knocked against the pilot seat quite roughly by his exit. Then his eyes focused on the scene in front of him. Heliopolis still stood strong...well maybe not _strong_. It was obvious that the colony had been attacked, and many of its sides were being held together quite precariously. But it was still standing.

It still existed.

Kira found himself grinning uncontrollably. _I did it! I DID IT! I_ can _pull this off!_ He had prevented Heliopolis's destruction!He knocked his hands against the _Strike_ 's controls, silently thanking his original Gundam for being so reliable. "I should call you Old Faithful," he told the machine with a chuckle. "My old friend."

The comm blinked again, and he immediately hit it. "X105 Strike here," He reported. "I can't see you on the cameras Archangel. Are you nearby?"

" _You were thrown past us by the decompression,_ " Natarle informed him. " _Find us on the computer and return to the Archangel."_

"Yes ma'am." Kira switched the computer off and reactivated the _Strike_ 's booster, though he did not head straight for the mother ship. He scanned the surrounding area for a few minutes, searching...and, once again, found something that should, yet shouldn't have been there.

A lifepod with broken engines.

 _Must have gotten battered by debris,_ Kira decided as he made his way towards the familiar shape. Cautiously he came to a stop and gently picked it up in the _Strike's_ hands, hoping he wasn't causing the people inside to get thrown around thanks to the zero gravity. Now that he had everything he needed, he started to head for the _Archangel_.

 _After this is Artemis._ Kira grimaced at the thought. He hadn't liked being in that place, and he hadn't liked dealing with the people in charge. That didn't mean he necessarily wanted Artemis to explode again. It was unlikely that everyone inside deserved to die, and more than that, sometimes when it came to life and death, whether they deserved it wasn't for him to decide.

Like George Allster. Kira knew he was a member, if not just sympathetic, to Blue Cosmos. But loosing him utterly destroyed Flay, and whatever she might have done last time, she deserved to survive, be happy, and look forward to a brighter future. So if George Allster had to live to ensure that Flay got the life she deserved, than so be it.

Death wasn't the only kind of justice out there, anyway. He had two hard drives, still in his pocket, to rain justice upon the living.

Kira opened the channel again when he approached _Archangel._ "Archangel, this is Strike. I came across a broken down life pod. The engines are non functional. I'm going to bring it aboard for humanitarian purposes."

" _What?"_ Ensign Natarle burst out immediately. " _Who gave you authorization to do that?_ "

Kira resisted the urge to roll his eyes, hit a few buttons to make the channel sound static-riddled, and instead said in a faux confused voice, "Sorry Archangel, I'm having trouble reading you. Must be the jamming left over from the battle. Tell me again when I get aboard."

He was too far away to hear the snickers and outright laughter that spread through the bridge following that remark...and though the lifepod itself, for that matter.

Kira landed the _Strike_ gracefully on the launch deck and walked forward as the hanger doors closed behind him. He waited until they were shut tight and the lights went back on before gently placing the lifepod on the floor. Then he moved to put the _Strike_ back in its resting place, and let out a relieved sigh. _Not bad for one day._

He remained inside for a minute, pulling up the OS and making some more changes to the machine. While he wasn't good with programming the same way Athrun was, Kira had learned over the course of the first and second wars just about everything regarding Gundams. He could probably fly any of them if he got into the cockpit. With that in mind, he changed some things about the Strike to make it fight better, and programmed in a few things he had picked up along the way during his first foray at Jachin Dun. The screen turned a dark green in response, accepting the new information and expanding to accommodate it.

Tori pulled free of his shirt when he opened up the cockpit and stepped outside. Flay had just been helped out of the lifepod. Kira smiled slightly and jumped down to see her, following his little green bird.

Flay's eyes lit up with relief when she saw someone familiar, after being tossed around and stuck in a broken boat. "I know you! You're one of Sai's friends aren't you!" She launched herself up and hugged him, relieved. "What happened back at Heliopolis?! What happened in the end?!"

"Take it easy, Flay," Kira said soothingly, while they floated by the _Strike_. "Heliopolis was attacked, but it's still standing."

"I – I got separated from my friends and ran alone to a shelter," Flay said anxiously. "And then everything..."

"I know...it's over, at least that part. You're safe on board here."

"No we're not! This is a ZAFT ship, isn't it?" Flay nodded frantically towards the _Strike._ "That's a mobile suit!"

"Actually, both that mobile suit and this ship belong to the Earth Forces." Kira said. "I just used that suit to bring you in here, after all."

Flay gaped at him. " _YOU_ used it? But...doesn't that mean-?"

"Yeah, I'm a Coordinator." Kira smiled sadly at Flay's resulting poleaxed expression. He could guess what was going on in her head; she was wondering why a Coordinator would save a Natural, when her father had taught her that they were horrible monsters. She was wondering what would prompt him to do something so 'out of character' for his 'species'. "But I'm not part of ZAFT. I'm fighting them now to ensure that you, Sai and Miriallia and the others reach the safety of ORB."

"S...Sai and Mir are here?" Flay asked hopefully, unsure of what to make of this new discovery. It ran contrary to what her father would have said. How could a nice boy like Kira be a Coordinator?

"Yeah, I'll take you over to them." Kira's violet eyes were full of reassuring warmth. "I know you're going to be just fine. Let's go."

 _ ****~On the Vesalius, Athrun's POV~****_

Athrun made his way towards Commander le Creuset's office, his mind still full of his encounter with Kira, in the _Strike_. Miguel was confined to the hospital, having lost his right leg when his GINN got mauled but otherwise was fairly healthy. Matthew's GINN had blown out its engines escaping from the debris field around Heliopolis, so they were both out of the fight for good. They'd be sent back to the PLANTs on the next shuttle.

 _Kira_...Athrun swallowed.

Kira had been in the _Strike,_ and he had handled it like a veteran. Sure, Kira was talented – he always had been – but when had he learned how to use that machine? He would have had to have rewritten the OS while being fired on by Miguel's GINN. Then taking it apart with just a few hits...

As desperately as Athrun wanted to deny it, these clues seemed to point to the EA having pressed Kira into service, training him to fight their war – or tricked him into it. Kira was sweet and naive, and his good nature left him easy to talk into things if it required helping people. Athrun remembered as much from when they had been together on the Moon.

The idea that the Earth Alliance, those _butchers_ who had caused Junius Seven and killed his mother, were now taking advantage of his best friend caused an ugly surge of rage in Athrun's chest. It caused his head to spin, and it was mainly his soldier training that allowed him to maintain a somewhat cool head and act as normally as possible around Nicol, Dearka and Yzak. He wasn't sure he was fooling Nicol, though. His green haired friend was very emotionally perceptive.

Taking a calming breath, Athrun walked into the Commander's office and saluted. "You asked for me, sir." He said.

"Relax, Athrun. I have no intention of punishing you for the events of last battle." le Creuset said with his normal unflappable cool. "I am curious to hear your explanation, though."

"I...regret my conduct. I had been quite distraught and failed to report the incident." Athrun took a deep breath again. "That final unit...I saw who the pilot was, and I recognized him. My old friend Kira Yamato."

"Oh?" le Creuset asked, the only indication of his surprise being the slight inflection in his voice. The mask made it very hard to determine the man's emotions.

"Yes. I...hadn't expected to see him there. We attended the same Lunar Prep School, and probably would have continued living in the same world if it hadn't been for..." _for Junius Seven... "..._ the evacuation. He's a Coordinator, like me."

Somehow, Athrun had a distant flicker that telling Creuset this was a mistake. He quickly shook it off, _that's absurd..._

"I see. Irony abounds in warfare." le Creuset stood up. "No, I don't blame you for being upset. I imagine you were very close to this friend of yours."

"We were." _It feels like an understatement somehow, looking back at us, but I have no other way to describe it._

"I'm taking you off the next sortie," The commander said.

Athrun felt a stab of slight panic. "Sir, please, allow me to go! Kira...he's good natured, and naive. The naturals are using him, manipulating him, I'm certain of it. Please, let me go and confront him. I...I should be able to convince him he's making a mistake.

"And if you can't?" The commander asked, sounding both sympathetic and foreboding at the same time.

 _Athrun's heart jerked. He didn't even want to consider the possibility. "Then...then I'll shoot him down, sir." Non-fatally. A few weeks as a prisoner wouldn't hurt too much, and he'll still be alive. The Earth Alliance... his fists tightened. I'm coming to get my best friend back._

 **End Chapter**

 **Shorter chapter. Mostly for feels and reactions.**

 **Read and review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**STRIKE Reborn**

 _ **Me: (groans and hits head against desk) Have I ever mentioned I hate writing battle scenes? Because I hate writing battle scenes.**_

 _ **Kira: You love watching them...**_

 _ **Me: They're harder to write than watch...It's difficult to capture the same chemistry and movement...**_

 _ **Kira: You'll get better...there are plenty more to come in this story...**_

 _ **Me: Yeah...you're right...**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED.**

 **Chapter 4: A Legend is Born**

"...I said, no, but I have apples!"

Kira snickered slightly, while Kuzzy and Sai roared with laughter. Tolle sat there, grinning like an idiot, while Miriallia gave him an incredibly disapproving look. The group of friends were all sitting around a table, eating lunch; Flay sitting next to Sai, occasionally glancing at Kira as if searching for something. Other than that, the atmosphere was relaxed, as if they were still on Heliopolis. Kira ate his food, pointedly not looking at the watch on his wrist.

"God, your jokes suck Tolle," Kira informed his friend. Tolle had always been famous for his awful, corny attempts at humour. "Can you get any cheaper?"

"Hey! Since when have you criticized my comedic abilities?" Tolle said, acting over the top injured. "And you laughed, I saw you!"

"Involuntary reactions are a thing, you know," Kira deadpanned.

Miriallia giggled. "I like this new snarky Kira. He keeps you in line, Tolle."

"You're all ganging up on me!" Tolle whined while Sai chuckled and Kuzzy rolled his eyes. Even Flay was grinning somewhat, which was amusing since this wasn't her usual kind of humor.

And that's when the lights blared.

"ALL HANDS, LEVEL ONE BATTLE STATIONS! ALL HANDS, LEVEL ONE BATTLE STATIONS!"

Kira sighed and got up, his eyes sweeping over the table. All his friends looked worried and fearful. "That's my cue. You guys sit tight." Then he turned and ran towards the hanger. _So today it's the Duel, the Buster, the Blitz, and the Aegis._ He smiled slightly. That group had earned their stripes in some earlier conflicts, but at their current level (re: not quite humanity-saving badasses – just above and beyond average pilots) they couldn't defeat him. After two wars and the following years, nearly dying three times, he could take them all on...as long as he could keep his battery running at a decent rate.

 _I'll need to switch packs mid battle_. Kira was mentally writing the calculations for that as he burst into the hanger where Mu la Flaga and the mechanics were waiting for him. _It'll be a bit tricky...if I take out the Duel's blaster, my only potential concern would be the Buster. And he needs time to line up a shot with the compound gun. Maybe I should target him first._

He grabbed the space suit and helmet, ducking into a side room and changing into it. _And now we round out the crew...Dearka, Yzak, it will be lovely to see you again, for the first time. Heh, there's something I never thought I'd say._

Dearka he had befriended before and during the first Jachin Due battle; the other boy's constant deadpan analysis, sharp tongue, brilliant sense of timing and sheer, devoted loyalty made him a dear and irreplaceable companion – by the third war (the last, terrible, final one, the one he tried so desperately not to think of), Kira had privately considered him a brother. It would be tough to fire at him; not as tough as fighting Athrun, but pretty damn close. Yzak, he had taken longer to get to know – mostly because of the shuttle business. It wasn't until the second war (Durandel, that bastard) that Kira had gotten close enough for the silver haired pilot to spill his guts over how much he regretted firing on it, once he learned the truth – the knowledge that he had killed civilians had driven him to drink heavily and might have resulted in suicide if it hadn't been for Shiho.

Once they'd gotten over that hatchet, Kira came to appreciate the silver boy's no nonsense, tough love command style...and Yzak, in turn, changed his opinions of Kira from 'lucky upstart' to 'worthy rival', and eventually to 'worthy rival, and friend'. Yzak was highly emotional, largely thanks to his losses in the Bloody Valentine, and while he tried to hide it, he cared deeply about his brothers in arms. Especially Dearka Elsman, his oldest friend...and later on, Shinn Asuka.

Kira resisted the urge to snicker as he remembered the birth of Yzak and Shinn's famous, house-on-fire friendship. It involved combat simulation, a rough sparring match, a twisted ankle, and a deep emotional understanding...that neither were willing to admit, at first. If it wasn't for Yzak's obvious (by his standards) affection for Shiho, Dearka probably would have been whispering 'tusudere' behind Yzak's back.

Having changed into his flight suit, Kira jumped into the _Strike_ and began activating it.

"Listen up, kid, here's the plan," Mu said with a mixture of familiarity and seriousness. "I'm going to sneak ahead and attack the _Nazca_ class, which should be enough to force them to retreat. Your job is to run distraction for those four G weapons for as long as possible."

"Understood. I think I can handle it," Kira said, keeping his face neutral while resisting the urge to smile. _It'll be like sparring with Yzak again...not that he'll see it that way._

Mu raised an eyebrow. "Don't get cocky in there, okay? These will be a lot tougher than those GINNs you knocked around."

"I don't doubt that at all." Kira responded with determination. "But they could raise all the demons from hell, and as long as I'm standing, they won't get the _Archangel_ or my friends."

Mu stared at him for a second, before grinning widely – Kira smiled himself; he knew he had just won the older man's deep respect. "I think you and I are going to get along great, kid. Be careful and good luck!"

The Mobile Armour launched then, and Kira walked the Strike over to the launch deck.

" _Hey Kira!"_ Kira looked up to see Miriallia having taken her original post. The memories of the future had shown her eventually graduating to CIC controller, and eventually to Combat Forecaster/Strategist for the ZAFT/ORB alliance in the final war – a role she had pulled off with moxie and brilliance. Even though she didn't have the memories he shared, he was glad to have her voice providing backup. _"I'm in charge of the Strike's battle feed. I'm counting on you!"_

"Glad to hear your voice, Mir. Any surprises out there?"

" _Your enemies are the Duel, the Buster, the Blitz and the Aegis. Be careful, okay?"_ Miriallia told him as he lined up the Strike and mounted the Aile pack.

"I'll do my best." Kira said. "Am I ready for launch?"

" _The doors are open!"_

"Kira Yamato, Strike Gundam, LAUNCHING!" Kira and his trusted weapon hurtled across the deck and launched out into space, Phase Shift activating as he went. Instead of hanging back at first, he flew around so he was hovering in front of the Archangel's deck, his computer scanning the battlefield.

 _Okay, Yzak/Duel on the far right, Dearka/Buster on the far left, they're spreading out for max damage, smart...there's Athrun/Aegis, heading my way, not looking forward to this conversation...and...there you are._ The camera focused in on a sinister looking red and black machine. _The most quietly dangerous of them all...and a great friend._

The Blitz. Nicol Amalfi. Kira's first Great Regret, probably his biggest of the first war – a position tied by Flay Allster. It was in the intern between the first and second Valentine wars that Kira had decided to learn everything about the boy who had suicide charged to protect Athrun...by the end, he had an entire file locked in a special drawer, one that pained him to open. Oh yes, Kira knew a lot about Nicol, what he liked, what he disliked, what his goals in life had been. On the anniversary of the war's end, he had visited the boy's official grave, left flowers there, and wept for someone who, in a kinder world, would have been a close friend. _Well._ Kira gunned the engine and flew forward to meet his enemies/friends. _It's not going to happen this time...I swear it. If I have to knock him out of every battle first...if I have to interfere with '_ allies _' attempting to kill him...then so be it._

The Duel charged him first...causing Kira to laugh, almost relieved, because that was so typical of Yzak. No hanging back, no waiting for the enemy to show his strategies or ticks – go to hit it, and hit it until it stopped moving. "No, no, sorry, can't let you do that."

He flew straight up and around, out of the Archangel's line of fire, before flying straight at the Duel and drawing his beam saber. Yzak preferred melee combat.

When the Duel immediately holstered its gun and drew his sword, Kira had a sneaking suspicion he had just made an impression. _A place to start._ He initiated a blade lock, and in the background, the Archangel started firing off missile tubes.

Kira pushed the Duel back after about three blows – he could almost hear the surprised and pissed yell from inside the blue and grey suit. He then aimed a blow at the head and the cameras; it was only glancing, but enough to throw the berserker off for a moment. The Aegis was drawing in, after all.

His communicator beeped. Kira took a breath and activated it. "Yes?"

" _Kira!_ " The Aegis flew up a bit, saber drawn, and Kira followed – keeping one eye on the Duel as he did so. " _Stop this, please, put away your sword Kira!"_

"I want to, Athrun," Kira responded immediately, "but given what's going on right now, I don't think that would be wise. We have to at least pretend to be engaged in battle...or our respective bosses will get suspicious."

" _Bosses...what do you mean? We...we are not enemies! Am I right?!"_ Athrun's shaky image in his cameras leaned forward slightly...Kira couldn't tell, but tears were stinging his eyes.

"Absolutely," Kira answered immediately. "I have been, and will _always_ be your friend, Athrun." _Actually, you were more. I think you were always more. But I can't tell you that right now._

" _But then why are you with THEM?!"_ Athrun exploded, angry and hurt and confused. " _Why are you siding with the Naturals?! What are you doing with the Earth Forces?! Why are you fighting with them?! TELL ME!"_ He threw a reckless but clearly telegraphed slash at the _Strike_ 's upper body; which was easily dodged.

"Siding with the Naturals?" Kira echoed sharply, parrying. "Athrun, since when did you start lumping all non-modified people under one banner like that? Are you saying all Naturals are the same?"

" _What? No! No, I'm not."_ Athrun backpedalled slightly, surprised and quickly defensive. _"But...but the Junius Seven attack! That was them!"_

"Junius Seven was a monstrous act!" Kira agreed loudly, surging forward and passing the _Aegis_ on the left, firing the Igelstellungs knowing they couldn't do jack to Phase Shift. "But not ALL Naturals were responsible for that, and you should know it! There are plenty of Naturals who think the Junius attack was abominable, and should be punished. Don't make that mistake, Athrun!"

" _Kira..."_ Athrun swallowed. _"How long have you been with the Earth Forces?"_

"As of right now...about twenty hours," Kira said with a levity he didn't really feel.

" _Tell me the truth!"_ Athrun protested, sounding stung. " _Where else would you learn to pilot a mobile suit?!"_

"If I told you, you'd think I'd gone insane," Kira said. "And I wouldn't blame you; however, it's true, and I still am not a member of the EA."

Explosions near the ship. Kira banked heavily towards it, firing at the Buster's back. The hit caused the green and grey suit to spin around and target him...Kira knew getting hit from behind pissed Dearka off, which was good – it distracted him from the _Archangel_.

Only somewhat distracted by the fact he was fighting two mobile suits at once now, Kira went on, still only addressing Athrun, "The reason I'm staying with this ship is because of the Heliopolis civilians on board. There's about sixty of them now, five of whom I know personally – they're fellow college students of mine, and they're all good friends."

Smoothly he dodged Dearka's fire, drawing the beam boomerang again and pitching it. It whirled in a long arc, and he pushed the Buster back a bit with a sword strike – while dodging some fire from the Aegis simultaneously – allowing the weapon to spin by and smash through one of the Buster's main canons.

" _The fucking hell?!"_ Dearka sputtered over the open channel. " _You sneaky SHIT!"_

Kira laughed and opened his communicator further. "Sorry about that! All's fair in love and war, right?!"

Dearka wouldn't admit to being surprised, but he was – the other pilot was talking to him? In a casual, familiar way, like he was addressing a fellow pilot or comrade? _Must be a daredevil...!_ The Strike then dodged another blast with lightning reflexes – Yzak had come to join the party, leaving Nicol to attack the ship alone. Despite this, the Strike seamlessly wove between the Duel and the Aegis, forcing the silver berserker to break off his attack or hit Athrun. The Strike then switched back to its rifle, firing off multiple shots at both of them. _Holy shit...he's planning to take us_ all _on at once?!_

In the seconds it took for that crazy thought to sink in, the dark skinned blonde found himself grinning. _Sounds like my kinda guy!_ He turned and started firing his remaining canon more rapidly. The Strike tanked the hit and dove straight down, banking to the right so fast the pressure _had_ to be making the other pilot nauseous.

Yzak hissed, startled by how easily the _Strike_ had turned his charge against him. _Hmph. So this won't be so easy after all...all the better to stretch my muscles!_ He wondered why Athrun seemed to be hovering back, occasionally attacking but mostly watching. He hit the comm and snarled, "You're not fighting, Athrun! Why not?!"

"Y-Yzak..." Athrun seemed shaken...if Yzak was less annoyed at this apparent cowardice, he would have been suspicious...and maybe slightly concerned.

Athrun watched Kira fight, now painfully confused. Civilians? Onboard the Archangel? That was so...but Kira would never lie to him. Had the EA brought them along as a means of coaxing his friend into working for him? He watched the Strike, which seemed to dance as it wove between its two opponents...what was he supposed to think...

 _ ****~On the Archangel~****_

"Look at Kira go!" Tolle yelled from his seating, gleeful like he was watching a football game. "It's like something out of a movie!"

Murrue would have told the young college boy to be more professional, if she wasn't utterly dumbstruck herself. And she knew Natarle was feeling the same way due to a lack of a reprimand from the stern by the books officer. The Strike's performance wasn't just good enough to protect the ship – it was utterly _magnificent._ It hadn't taken any severe damage despite being gravely outnumbered, and it was currently leading Duel, Buster _and_ Aegis in a conflict that looked more like a dance.

 _Who in the WORLD have I just met?_ The older woman wondered in shock. _Kira Yamato..._

"Tell him to stick closer to the ship," She managed after a few moments, noticing that the boy had taken the fight dangerously far away. "I don't know how much power his suit as left, but he can't afford to run out before Lieutenant La Flaga has completed his part of the mission."

"R-Right!" Miriallia Haw said, awe in her voice. "Kira, you're getting too far away! Don't be afraid to stick closer to the ship!"

The Strike did bank closer...another explosion rocked the ship. Murrue cursed, she was really getting frustrated with the Blitz. Whoever was piloting that thing was an ace in the making; despite all the Archangel's heavy weapondry he hadn't sustained any damage, and had managed to get a few hits on them.

Kira, apparently, wasn't too terribly pleased to make note of that – he pulled a circus like jump, putting the Duel in the Buster's line of fire (which caused the blue suit to loose its rifle) and blasted towards the _Archangel,_ firing at the ebony suit and forcing it away from the port side of the deck.

"That boy...is he planning to fight all four of them?!"

"Message from the Lieutenant! Mission Accomplished!"

Murrue let out a sigh of relief. _For all the miracles he's working, I don't want to push luck that Kira will continue to fend those four off._ "Prepare to fire the Lohengrin. Caution the Lieutenant and the Strike to avoid our ship's line of fire!"

"Yes ma'am! Pressure stabilizing...opening barrels!"

 _ ****~Back with the Gundams~****_

"Watch it, Dearka!" Yzak swore, tossing his fragmented rifle aside. His was seething with rage now; the Strike was just _refusing to die_ and now seemed to be _juggling_ the four of them – it had lost an arm, but that was _nothing_ compared to the damage that _single fucking mobile suit_ was doing to _all of them_!

"Hey, I warned you!" His friend shot back. "You let him lead you into my shot!"

Nicol attacked next; the Strike's rifle exploded. A flood of cursing echoed across the open channel before the Strike pulled out the sword again. "Nice shot," the young man complimented the other pilot over the open channel. "Didn't even see you there."

"Uh..." Nicol stuttered, unsure of what to say. The Strike pilot sounded no older then himself...hell, he sounded downright friendly. Of course, that was a hard image to maintain when the Strike shot at him, swinging the sword and nearly slashing the Blitz's important arm clean off.

"I could send that right back at you," Dearka remarked, firing again. He hated to admit it, but this guy was earning his respect. Taking on four ZAFT aces – even if Athrun's head wasn't in the game at all – like this? Even the Hawk of Endymion couldn't boast that. "Especially for a Natural!"

"Thanks; I'm flattered – but I'm not a Natural."

"You're NOT!?" Yzak yelled in shock, jerking back in his seat and freezing for a second. Dearka and Nicol's eyes both widened in surprise. Athrun, meanwhile, wondered what the hell his best friend was up to.

Yzak couldn't comprehend the implications; the Duel charged the Strike again, forcing the white blue and red machine to parry and push back. "You...you're a _Coordinator_?"

"Yes." The Strike pilot responded, before pausing and then audibly cursing.

Dearka grinned. "Sounds like you're running out of power!" The Buster wasn't in great shape either – he'd probably be out in another ten minutes – but the Strike was definitely in the worse, having expended so much energy to keep them struggling and guessing.

The pilot didn't respond, which clearly meant yes.

"Surrender to us!" Nicol chipped in, a slightly anxious note in his voice. Dearka wasn't the only one this guy was making an impression on. "You can't keep this up! We'll take you in alive; I'd really rather not destroy you, after this."

The pilot took a deep breath. "And neither would I. But...I have people I need to protect. So...I can't stop here!"

The Strike took another wild dive – this time, towards the Buster, slashing off the end of the canon just second before Phase Shift sputtered and died. Then the Strike flew straight upwards...and _detatched_ the weapons pack-?

Dearka realized what was happening a second before it happened. The Strike pilot had distracted them with the revelation of his genetic nature, while sending a quick coded message to the _Archangel..._ requesting that they stick something on the catapult. Then he had removed the last long range weapon from consideration with the Aile's dying breath, before launching into the air and smoothly switching to the Launcher Pack. Phase Shift reactivated, and the Strike brought the Agni Impulse canon to bear.

"... _Did you just_ switch packs _mid battle_?!" Nicol asked, his voice shooting up an octave in disbelief, before yelping and dodging several bursts of colony-destroying fire which forced the four G Weapons to retreat.

"You've lost this round! You four should return to the Vesalius," The mysterious pilot said. "I think I'm not the only one who was low on power!"

Yzak gaped for a second, stunned speechless by the sheer audacity...before flooding the open channel with curses and starting to boost away.

"Damn it, you're right," Dearka muttered. He started to leave before pausing and glancing back at his opponent. "Hey! Answer me one thing, oh mysterious ace. If you're a Coordinator, what are you doing with _THEM_?" He asked the question with audible distaste on _them_ , referring to the _Archangel_.

"...Because I'm a first generation coordinator." The pilot responded, sounding rather sad. "And my college friends from Heliopolis are on board the ship. I don't have much of a choice."

"Huh." There was an unenviable position if Dearka had ever heard one. First generation coordinators had a history of being unwilling to join the military, fearing it would turn them against their families. And if he was from Heliopolis...yeah, he probably had a bone to pick with ZAFT after that mess. Though what a bunch of college students were doing on an EA ship, he couldn't fathom. "Stay alive until I get another crack at you, ace."

Dearka could almost hear the boy smiling. "Count on it."

Athrun was the last to leave, hovering, staring. "Kira..."

"I'm sorry, Athrun," The other boy whispered. "I'd love nothing more than to go with you. But I can't. I...I don't have a choice."

"Don't...have a choice...?" Thousands of questions, and horrible possibilities flooded Athrun's mind as he flew away back to the Vesalius. His heart ached terribly...confusion and pain, some astonishment at getting tossed around...but a small spark of hope stayed with him this time.

" _I will always be your friend, Athrun."_

 _What have you gotten yourself into, Kira?_

 **End Chapter**

 _ **More hints of the future Kira got his memories from...doesn't sound good! Yes, it covers more than just the original series - but Destiny and an unknown third event as well. I wanted to spice things up a bit, so there you have it - you'll be finding more about the third war much later in the story. Also, does anybody else think that Yzak and Shinn should have interacted a**_ **lot** _ **in Destiny? I mean, they have similar fighting styles, and I imagine Yzak would see a lot of himself in Shinn...sure, Durandel wouldn't want Shinn to have a competent mentor figure, but I think they should have had a lot of scenes together.  
**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**STRIKE Reborn**

 _ **Me: Ugh. Sorry this chapter was so late. I know it's intentional for the Eurasians to be assholes and for Garcia to be a dick and plant some more angst in Kira, but watching this episode is a friggin chore. I kept debating how to keep it from dragging out and torturing myself, so that's why it's shorter than I'd like it to be.**_

 _ **Kira: (sarcastically) Oh poor you. you only had to**_ **watch _it._**

 ** _Me: Since when are you sarcastic?_**

 ** _Kira: (glares at me) since you added a third war to my supremely unlucky life and forced me to watch the death of the man I_ loved _._**

 ** _Me: (gulps) Immmm just gonna go do the disclaimer - Kira, put that down! Ack! (runs)_**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED/Destiny; should be obvious given how the second half of Destiny ends.**

 **Chapter 6: Artemis**

"Why hasn't the kid left the Strike?" Head mechanic Murdoch wondered, looking up at the stately machine. It had walked in about twenty minutes ago, shed the Launcher pack and commissioned repairs for the Aile pack..but the kid inside, while acknowledging everyone surrounding him, refused to disembark. There was a relative authority (and calmness; assuring that he wasn't suffering from combat shock) to his comment that none of them, including Mu la Flaga who had come over out of concern, had forced the issue.

Right now, Murdoch's men were attaching the spare unit for the arm that had been lost in the previous scuffle. While they were low on food and water supplies, Kira had snatched up enough of the spares and repair equipment from Heliopolis's Morganrate that they would be able to fix the _Strike_ in time for the next sortie. The kid seemed to be prepared for anything...or perhaps fear and the threat of death was making him overthink everything to ensure their survival.

Murdoch wouldn't blame him for it. This was the last place a college kid should be; so whatever kept that supremely unlucky sixteen year old alive was okay in his book.

"He said he has a feeling one of those ships, and the other Gundams, haven't made a real retreat." Mu explained, his brow furrowed. He was sipping from a drink bottle, looking up at the Strike with curiosity and vague contemplation in his eyes. "It was something the other pilots said over the open channel, apparently."

"What makes him so sure?" Murdoch wondered.

"If it was anyone other than le Creuset, I'd insist the kid's being paranoid...but he might be right. If old metal mask wants us gone, little things like Artemis's light wave barrier aren't going to stop him." Mu took a sip of coffee and stared pensively at the Strike. "Though, if he's just trying to avoid being on foot in Artemis, I can't say I'd be surprised."

"Eh?"

"He is a Coordinator in a Eurasia base. After the mess at Heliopolis, he must be feeling pretty cagey." Mu shook his head. "Given that some of the soldiers pointed guns at him the first time he acknowledged his status, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Yah may be right about that..." Murdoch shook his head. "He took that awfully gracefully though, didn't he? He barely looked fazed, even with six rifles aimed at him. All those threats yet he barely needed any convincing to help us. Is he _really_ just some college kid?"

Mu shook his head. "No way. I might have believed that at the start, but after his battle with the four mobile suits on the way here, there's no way that's all there is to him. Even a prodigy shouldn't take to battle _that_ quickly. Especially against ZAFT redcoats, in his third ever sortie." His eyes moved up to the Strike's cockpit, which was still sealed shut. "However, I can't think of any other explanation that makes a shred of logical sense. What I do think...is that he might have his own motives for being out here." He knocked the bottle back again with a content sigh. "He's certainly a cipher, for now."

"Think we should be nervous?"

The Hawk of Endymion paused for a moment...and then chuckled readily. "After he took on those suicidal odds to protect the Archangel? No, I think he's sincere about that; especially with his friends on board. It's _why_ he's doing it – coming along with us, that is - that I'm willing to bet is more complicated."

The Archangel finally finished docking within the station. And with that, just like last time, a swarm of Eurasian soldiers came aboard and held the crew at gunpoint.

 ****Inside the Strike****

Kira finished his tweaking of the _Strike's_ systems. He was starting to miss _Strike Freedom_ and its many on board canons/weapons; having to cycle between packs felt like more of a chore than he remembered. However, with a few changes to the system, he should now be able to mix weapon packs – you never knew when that might come in handy. While duel wielding the Agni and the Sword was probably impossible, it could give the Aile some heavier firepower.

He saw the men come in on the cameras, and scowled. _They're just soldiers following orders,_ he reminded himself when a pair shoved their guns near Mu's face and the urge to move the _Strike_ and step on them became extremely tempting. _It's Garcia's idea. Remember that._

He waited for someone to call out to him, or order him to disembark. Instead, the guards merely moved around, leading Mu back towards the docking platforms, while the others started leading Murdoch and the other officers back to the cafeteria. Kira let out a small relieved sigh.

It seemed...they didn't realize he was in there. At least, not yet. Good. He'd sit, let them postulate and waste time, and then he'd start walking the perimeter. He couldn't remember how many hours it would be until Nicol showed up in the _Blitz_ and cracked the light wave barrier; the granted memory of the incident made it seem like it went on forever. Hopefully Murrue wouldn't get too annoyed with him on taking his own initiative; then again, she'd hated hanging around this place almost as much as he had in retrospect.

 _Sometimes I wonder what place I hate the most...here, Mendel, snowy mountains in general_ (thanks, Shinn _) Jachin Due, or...deep space._

Kira leaned against the back of his seat. He wondered where Cagalli was right now. North Africa? Had she gotten there already, or was she still in Orb? Arguing with her father over something...again? Uzumi Nara Athha...they had to evacuate the civilians before the Earth Alliance arrived on their doorstep. Even if Kira _had_ still had something of a grudge towards Shinn for nearly killing him ( _he really didn't...especially after he learned about Stella Lousieer_ ), that boy deserved better than to see his family blown up in front of him. Though that was assuming everything would be relatively similar, still, by then...he had a sinking feeling that the attack on Orb would be nearly impossible to subvert.

For that matter, what were Athrun, Yzak, Dearka and Nicol thinking right now? Kira didn't doubt at least three of them were nearby.

His eyelids felt heavy. The battle had worn him out more than he realized...adrenaline had kept his head clear, but he'd been worried about how he'd preform in the _Strike_ , (he had thought/worried his Granted muscle memory would be more accustomed to _Freedom_ and _Strike Freedom_ ) when things were changing around him. Well, a little rest would be welcome...hopefully he wouldn't be woken via being dragged from the cockpit by some self important political admiral.

Of course, he hadn't been that lucky in a while.

Kira got as comfortable as possible, and closed his eyes...drifting into a shallow sleep, memories mixing with dreams and nightmares of the future.

 _ ****~On board the Gamow~****_

"The light wave barrier deflects all projectiles coming at it. Though the same could be said for anything coming from within." Captain Zelman said.

"So what it comes down to is, they won't be attacking us," Dearka summed up, theatrically rolling his eyes and smirking. "What a perfectly lame invention. Wouldn't have pegged it as _his_ style."

There was no question who _he_ was; everyone within ear shot either shifted or affected various emotions at the mention of the phantom. Captain Zelman frowned disapprovingly at the blonde, who of course didn't seem affected by it. Yzak's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched, while Nicol just glanced sideways at Dearka but didn't comment.

 _He_ was part of the reason Rau le Creuset and Athrun were returning to the PLANTs to give their mission report to the Council in person; hardly anyone, even those who had seen the battles with their own eyes, could have believed what they had seen. The fact that Rau le Creuset had said there were a few moments in the battle, where he suspected _that pilot_ had actually been _holding back_ had done absolutely nothing to soothe the nerves of everyone involved. Yzak had been very annoyed at the implications, but Nicol was actually willing to believe it. He had spotted at least one opportunity for the _Strike_ to go for a killing shot on both the _Aegis_ and the _Duel,_ but both times he had declined to take it.

Hence, the Le Creuset team had been unable to either capture or destroy the _Strike_ or the _Archangel,_ allowing both entities to escape and conceal themselves behind the safety of the Artemis base light wave barrier. Which lead them to their current problem.

"Well, _he_ probably isn't the wing commander." Nicol pointed out. "Besides, it makes the most tactical sense, given how they're outnumbered and likely low on supply given how fast they had to leave Heliopolis."

Zelman coughed and said, "Indeed. Though as a purely defensive weapon, it's quite an achievement. Command has considered trying to crack it so we can replicate the technology for Boaz or our other defensive bases, however we haven't been able to get anything out of that place up until this point."

"So we have to get past it," Yzak said decisively. "Or be sitting here, looking like fools, when the Commander returns." His lip curled at the thought. The possibility, coupled with the fact they had just lost a four-on-one battle, was not a charming one. "Who the _hell_ is that bastard?"

"Focus on the problem at hand, Joule," Zelman said firmly. The silver blonde growled but conceded; his pride had been injured by the phantom pilot's capabilities in the last battle.

Nicol rested his hands on the edge of the map table, looking deep in thought. "The umbrella doesn't stay open all the time, does it?" He asked.

"It only stays open as long as there are hostiles in the area. However, even if we were to retreat and approach from another angle, their superior visuals would spot us before we got close enough to do any significant damage from a distance." Zelman explained, having already thought of that.

However, there was a little more that hadn't occurred to anyone else yet. "I have an idea." When everyone turned towards him, Nicol elaborated, "My machine, Blitz...it's equipped with a system called Mirage Colloid. Once activated, the Blitz becomes invisible to thermal detection, radar, and the naked eye. I can't activate Phase Shift while using it, but I should be able to draw close while the umbrella is down, and take out the reflectors."

His two fellow pilots pondered that for a minute. "Well, it's something," Dearka decided eventually. "Disable the umbrella, and we'll follow you in."

Nicol nodded and smiled. "Right." With a nod and giving his authorization for the mission, Captain Zelman dismissed them, and the three headed down the hallway towards the hanger.

Dearka, who didn't think very highly of 'sneaking around', decided to needle the younger pilot a bit. "Y'know, once you get inside, you'll probably run into _him_. Think you can handle him all by yourself?"

Nicol tilted his head and gave Dearka a dry look. "I can't say I'm certain of anything, but I didn't get this uniform as a birthday present, Dearka. When he shows up, I'll engage him." _I wonder if he'll be as talkative as yesterday,_ the pianist added silently. _There's something I'd like to understand..._

His calm determination and relative confidence surprised both his fellow pilots. Yzak, who'd been fairly ready to call the younger boy a coward the minute he was out of earshot, paused for a moment before nodding shortly. "Right. See if you can blow up a few command towers while you're in there; those Eurasian snakes..."

Nicol gave his teammate a mildly disapproving frown at that; he didn't believe in shooting at people who didn't have the capability of firing back. "I'd rather not risk giving myself away; but if I reach the command centre first, I'll take it out."

With that, he vanished into the elevator and headed into the docking bay.

Dearka and Yzak entered the pilot's lounge and watched as their fellow Gundam user boarded the _Blitz_ and prepared to leave. "Hmph. He's tougher than I gave him credit for, going up against _that guy_ in a stealth suit," Dearka said carelessly, disguising the fact he was slightly concerned for Nicol.

Yzak hissed. "I just don't get it..." He hit his hand against the reinforced glass. "That _guy_! How could a Coordinator – _any_ Coordinator! - even _think_ of helping the Earth Alliance? After what they've done?! They hate our kind! They're just using him as a weapon!"

Dearka shrugged. "Hey, you got me. All we know is what he's told us – that he's first generation, and that there are Orb civilians on that ship."

Yzak's lip curled. _"_ I suppose its possible. It would be just like those Earth Alliance bastards to use bystanders as human shields." Yzak might see Orb's insistence on neutrality as cowardice – especially now that they had been 'caught' constructing weapons for the Earth Alliance – but that didn't mean he approved of harm coming to innocent civilians. In general, the threat of such a thing would get any remotely patriotic ZAFT soldier up in arms, especially in the aftermath of Bloody Valentine. "But _still_ -! He's a fool if he trusts them!"

"Of course," Dearka said easily. "But hey, maybe a few hours in a Eurasia base will change his mind on _that_. If that doesn't, I don't know what will."

Yzak's only response was a snort of agreement.

 _ ****~Within Artemis~****_

If he could have heard them at that moment, Kira's response would have been, "Almost. _Almost._ "

The reason for this? Given his absence from the cafeteria, Garcia had weaseled his identity out of the Heliopolis crew by randomly shoving guns in people's faces. After hearing it was a 'young man', he grabbed the nearest girl – in this case, an in equal parts frightened and _pissed off_ Miriallia Haw – and headed towards the Strike, apparently to 'course' Kira into opening up the cockpit and giving him the machine's secrets.

 _It's Blue Cosmos infiltrating the high command,_ Kira reminded himself sternly as his he opened the cockpit, jaw locked and fingers digging into his palms. _Few people in the Earth Alliance are actually aware of this. Do_ not _blow up Artemis yourself and leave for the Vesalius, no matter_ how _tempting it seems. Stick to the plan._

He let the scientists approach on the condition that Mir would be nearby – she kept shooting him anxious looks, silently asking him not to give in to them. It was a brief flash of the bravery he'd seen her possess in the second war, and it was enough to make him smile as he pulled the keypad down and tried to figure out how to get them out of this. Luckily, he had some help...from a black and red machine cutting down Artemis's prized light wave barrier.

As soon as the first explosions shook the hanger, Kira grabbed Mir by the arm and pulled her into the cockpit. Then he hit the hatch button, closing it behind them and started walking towards the weapons dropoff. "Ow! Kira, what are you doing?" Mir asked, wincing as Kira gently pushed her behind the seat so he could have an unimpeded view of his cameras.

"Keeping you safe; like I promised!" Kira responded, calling for the sword pack in the process. The automatic arming process started up, giving him his necessary tools. "Brace yourself, okay Mir? We're going to be moving fast."

Mir grimaced, before squeezing his arm and saying, "Thanks Kira." Her friend nodded in acknowledgement before taking off from the open hanger and flying out to confront the Blitz.

Kira found him about where he was the last time – cutting down a number of mobile armours foolish enough to get in his way as he searched for the Archangel. It was slightly disconcerting, once you knew about the pilot's aversion to violence...but, Nicol's peaceful nature was matched only by his dedication to his home and his friends. Mir whimpered, and he shot her a reassuring look. "I've got this, Mir. Just hang in there."

"Be careful," She muttered, crouching down and pressing herself against the seat. Hopefully she'd avoid being thrown around like this...

Nicol saw the blip on the radar a few seconds before the _Strike_ emerged from cover. "There you are," He muttered, readying the lancer darts. Useless against Phase Shift...but that was the point. He fired three bolts before activating his comm system. " _I'm assuming your the same man from yesterday?_ "

Kira's eyebrows shot up. That he hadn't expected. "Yeah. Comes with being the only coordinator on board."

" _I'm honestly surprised the Eurasians didn't try to kill you_ ," Nicol admitted, jetting backwards as the Strike swung its anti airship sword at the Blitz's arm. That seemed to be his standard, the green haired ace realized; in the last battle, he'd been aiming for weapons and cameras too. Never once had he aimed for the cockpit. " _Considering your status_."

"They were a problem," Kira remarked amiably. "I was in the process of convincing myself not to step on the rear admiral when you showed up; he was threatening one of my friends with violence if I didn't unlock the OS and start sending the base my combat data."

" _I hope you weren't surprised,"_ Nicol commented, wondering if Athrun's remark – that this pilot was a misguided idealist – was completely accurate after all.

"No, not really...a bit depressing, but there it is." Mir shot Kira and odd look, wondering why he was chatting with this pilot like an old friend. "They said it was logical, after all, 'I was a traitor to my fellow Coordinators...'" Kira quoted, his eyes darkening slightly. "I wonder, is that what ZAFT thinks I am? A traitor?"

" _Yzak's on the fence_ ," Nicol responded quietly. The _Blitz_ fired its anchor at the _Strike,_ which responded in kind, cancelling the attack. They flew around each other, heading closer and closer to the port just as planned while doing so. " _Dearka just thinks you're crazy, and perhaps suicidal."_

Kira chuckled softly, startling both Mir and Nicol. _Yeah, that sounds about right. 'Have a brownie, extra fudge with nuts. Like you need any more nuts than you already are', right, Dearka? Ah my friends, I miss you._ "Maybe I am." He activated the _Strike's_ camera system, allowing the ZAFT pilot to see his face. "Do I look crazy?"

Nicol let out a soft gasp. The 'Phantom Ace', as he had been referred to in le Creuset's report, was a boy barely any older than himself or Athrun. He was tall and lean, with brown hair and very tired looking violet eyes. That wasn't all...crouched behind the seat was a girl in a pink alliance uniform, looking scared yet resolute. The most startling aspect of the boy was his eyes...tired, sad yet _strong_ , eyes that spoke of a thousand experiences and a singular, incredible determination.

" _Not really, no,"_ He said after a second, dodging a telegraphed overhead swing. " _But it isn't always obvious."_

Kira couldn't help but grimace slightly; that's exactly what he'd say about Nicol's current commanding officer. "You have no idea how true that is."

" _You should come to the Vesalius,"_ Nicol said, sincerely. " _The Earth Forces aren't going to keep you forever, no matter how skilled you are. You can bring your friend; I'm sure the commander won't mind. She'll be safe; ZAFT soldiers won't hurt a civilian."_

"Thank you, really. But I don't think I can fit everyone from a life pod in here," Kira said with a good natured smile. "Not without getting into quantum mechanics."

Mir giggled, and Nicol was surprised to find himself smiling briefly as well. He activated his own camera and said, " _Can I at least get your name? Before I'm told to shoot you down, again?"_

Kira smiled. "Yamato. It's Kira Yamato."

" _Nicol Amalfi."_

"I'm sorry we had to meet like this...Nicol."

The Archangel burst through the smoke and fires started by _Duel_ and _Buster_ , blasting its way past the two offending suits and hurtling out to the harbour exit. The _Strike,_ suddenly animated, kicked _Blitz_ to the right and bolted for its mothership, landing on the deck as they blasted by and left Artemis behind them for good. And despite everything, Kira couldn't help but smile slightly when the small base didn't explode completely.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Again, sorry its short...I just couldn't stand the episode. At least Nicol and Kira get their first real conversation, which was a treat to write. Mir got a little more to do, and trust me that was completely intentional. She'll get even more to do once they reach the desert. (inner romantic giggles) hush up you. It's a surprise.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**STRIKE Reborn**

 _ **Me: (stretches) Ah, glorious holidays! The time to write and enjoy anime is here!**_

 _ **Athrun: Yeah...(crosses his arms) That is, if you stopped rewatching Gundam AGE long enough to actually DO any writing...**_

 _ **Me: (blushes) Hey! We all have our vices, especially writing happier endings for lovingly cheesy, questionably written by the end anime! Just like Destiny! And I did get it done, didn't I?**_

 _ **Athrun: You should get to Savior as well...putting off the fight scene isn't going to deal with it any faster...**_

 _ **Me: (groans) You're right...but hey, before that, enjoy the next chapter of time travel! (mutters) I always get new ideas for stories AFTER I'm part way into them...sigh.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED.**

 **Chapter 7: Junius Graveyard**

Kira was glad to be lying down.

He'd been awake for more than thirty hours by the time they had escaped from Artemis; partially out of paranoia, partially because he simply didn't dare leave his fate to others. Thus he'd never really properly recovered from his first battle with the four 'enemy G weapons'. The few catnaps he had caught along the way didn't really count; they hadn't lasted long and his sleep had been correspondingly shallow. So by the time he and Miriallia left the _Strike_ and were told that they were out of danger, Kira had saluted, gone directly back to his sleeping quarters, and collapsed on the bed.

His body felt like lead wound together with barbed wire; everything ached, and he suspected that, had he not been the Ultimate Coordinator, he'd be _significantly_ more miserable.

Thank god he had a few days of quiet ahead of him...if going into the Debris Belt and encountering Junius Seven could be considered 'quiet'. He supposed it did – for all the wrong reasons.

Because Junius Seven _shouldn't_ be quiet. It should be a bustling metropolis; filled with the noise of over two hundred thousand people going about their daily lives. There should be people laughing, kids yelling at each other as they played games, parents discussing what to buy for birthdays, new couples looking to their futures and seeing hope there. The rustle and bustle of every day life pervaded over every home, whether it was on Earth or in space.

There would be no noise at Junius Seven now; not until Sato and his men turned it into a comet and wiped out several hundred million people. Kira scoffed slightly. The death toll of Break the World made Junius Seven look like a schoolyard incident, yet those men had still been convinced they were justified in starting what they had. It was hard to know who was crazier, them or Patrick Zala...Patrick had lost only his wife, while Sato and his men were (in their own sick minds) acting on behalf of all the dead at Junius.

As if any of those souls wanted to be avenged like that. Especially Lenore.

Kira smiled softly, sadly.

He remembered Lenore Zala; not as clearly as Athrun did, but he remembered her. She was a kind, patient woman with a clever sense of humour. He had seen her multiple times at the lunar prep school he had spent all those happy years at. He had tended to think of her as an aunt, or a much older sister because she knew how to have fun in ways no other adult had seemed to share at the time.

It hurt to hear that she had died – nothing compared to what Athrun must have gone through at the time, but the pain had been significant when he had looked up the list and realized yes, his friend was right, she had been killed in the attack.

Kira closed his eyes. He hadn't been able to turn the clock back that far – far enough to prevent the Junius Seven attack. The thought had certainly occurred to him, and if he'd had his way that would have been his first stop. Unfortunately, the machine had to strain its limits to take him as far back as it had; which hadn't been quite far enough.

Well. He'd make the best of it.

Sleep claimed him a moment later.

 _**~Sleep~**_

" _I...I guess it's a little strange, for me to be here."_

 _He wasn't sure why he was talking to the tombstone. Perhaps he was hoping that somehow, somewhere, the ghost of its occupant could hear him. He had carefully placed a candle next to the fresh flowers –_ must have been left by his mother or father _, he realized, and he was deeply grateful that he hadn't run into either of them during his stay yet. It was a bit selfish, but when faced with them he probably would make a break for it, or stand there in hopes that they would either hit him or try to strangle him._

 _Mu had said that after a while, as a soldier, you got used to this sort of feeling. It got easier to bear._

 _He wasn't entirely sure he_ wanted _it to get easier. If it was easier to bear, then it would be easier to kill...no, he would never want that._

" _I don't know...no, I doubt Athrun told you about me, and I'm sorry about that. He never told me about you until afterwards, and I'm sorry about_ that _too. I think if either of us had known..." he trailed off. "Well, I guess it's impossible to tell what might have happened. But...well, I'd like to think I wouldn't have made that move."_

 _He knelt down; his throat was tight and it was hard to breathe. "You know, I kind of hoped you'd pop up again somehow, like Andrew Waltfeld did. Stupid, huh? I mean, I cut the Blitz in half, straight through the cockpit."_

 _He looked at the name inscribed on the stone. It didn't speak back. "I know it's not enough...it's not nearly enough...but I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I hadn't meant...hadn't meant to do what I did. You appeared out of the blue, behind me...and I just reacted. The lancer dart wouldn't have pierced phase shift, but it didn't matter. I – I just knew an opponent had the drop on me - you were behind me, and I didn't want to die."_

" _God, I'm sorry. I'm_ sorry. _"_

 _A few stray tears rolled down his cheeks. Cautiously he reached out and brushed his fingers along the inscription on the stone._ Nicol Amalfi, CE 56 – 71.

" _I...well..." He took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice. "The war is over. The PLANTs are safe. There...there was a close call, with the nukes sent by Azreal, but Athrun and I stopped them. It's all over. I hope...I hope that, wherever you are...you're happy, and at peace."_

 _Silence greeted him, naturally...but he felt oddly better. Like something had reached through time and space and put a friendly hand on his shoulder. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but it comforted him somewhat._

 _Standing up, he saluted the grave, before turning and walking back towards his rental car. He didn't want to be late for dinner – Athrun was cooking, and he_ had _to see that._

 _~~FLASH~~_

" _What was her name?"_

 _Red eyes snapped towards him, wary and uncertain. "What?"_

" _The girl...the girl who piloted the first Destroy at Berlin. What was her name?" Knowing he was treading on very thin ice, he went on, "I didn't know who was inside that thing until a long time afterwards – I had thought it was one of the elite soldiers, at the time, mainly because of how it was tearing through the city without remorse. It wasn't until the Extended project was made public that it occurred to me..."_

 _Shinn Asuka stared at him for a long moment, red eyes flashing with anger, sorrow, guilt and frustration. His expressions were easy to read, because he wore them all so openly – Lunamaria had described him that way during her short dating stint with him._

 _He was passionate. Fierce._

" _Stella." The black haired ace responded after a long pause. "Her name was Stella Lousieer."_

 _He watched the younger boy turn and stare across the ocean, trying to collect his thoughts and emotions. That sight was something of a relief; both Rey Za Burrel and Gilbert Durandel had encouraged Shinn's self destructive tendencies to the point where he had a mental breakdown following the ZAFT victory at Heaven's Base. His condition had steadily worsened in battle – hence all the terrible decisions he made – until Athrun had managed to disable the Destiny in the final conflict of that war and drag him in for treatment. Athrun had told his best friend/maybe love interest (they still weren't sure what to make of the time they kissed, just recently) about this, vocally expressing regret that he hadn't noticed Shinn's illness until it was almost too late to help him._

" _She...I know she was piloting the Destroy," Shinn said. "But – but she wasn't evil. She was just_ scared _. Terrified...she spent her whole life scared and suffering ever since she was brought to that damn place." Neither had to ask to know which place was being referred to. "She didn't even know what she was doing...she didn't know she was killing people. She always thought she was surrounded by monsters."_

 _Shinn's hand tightened until his fingernails drew blood from his palms. "I wanted to help her...I wanted to protect her...but I failed. Guardians...heroes...it's all an illusion." He stared down at his bloody hand. "I can't protect anyone."_

" _...That's not true," He said softly, worried. Shinn twisted his head and stared at him. "Haven't you saved a lot of lives? You've freed people from alliance control, and you stopped the advance from Heaven's base."_

 _Shinn looked unblinkingly at him for a few moments...and once again, strong emotions came out in a violent rush. "Why...why are you trying to comfort me?! I tried to kill you!"_

" _So did Athrun, once," He said, and he couldn't help but smile because Shinn's expression screamed_ bullshit _. Even he, not the best at understanding others, could see how intimate their relationship was."It's true! That's the awful thing about war..." The smile faltered. "It isn't...the first time, I've ended up killing someone important to someone else."_

 _He looked down at his hands. "I swear to God...I never wanted to. If it had been in my power, I would have forced the Destroy down somehow, pulled Stella out of the cockpit. I hate killing people...even if it would be a 'mercy'." Shinn looked furious at the description, and he managed a grunt of distaste as well._

 _Granted, he could see what Andrew was getting at when he called his killing of Stella that. As the older man pointed out; only the Alliance had the medicine the young woman needed to function, her mental capacity was so damaged she was reverting to childhood mindset, and if she didn't die on the battlefield she'd probably die in the medicine room – either rejecting treatment out of fear/her body being too battered to accept it, or the Alliance spitefully destroying any of their supplies within reach to ensure she passed away. They were violent and petty enough to go through with it._

" _She wasn't the first Extended I ran into," He went on. Shinn blinked and looked curiously at him. "There were three others in the first war...they were more openly violent, even more dependant on the drugs...but I wonder who they were before Lodonia got a hold of them..." Images of Calamity, Forbidden and Raider flashed before his eyes._

 _Shinn looked down at his feet. "...Are you always..."_

" _What?"_

 _Shinn snorted and let out a long breath. "Yzak called you Jesus Yamato when I first asked what your name was." He groaned audibly, which earned a snicker from the black haired boy – the first he'd ever seen. He took that as a win. "Are you always-? Always this GOOD? I mean...Messiah-like? How? How do you do it?"_

" _I'm hardly a messiah," He disputed, embarrassed and making a mental note to complain to Yzak about the description later. "I don't think any human could really do that. I just..." He paused, rooting around for some non-condescending way to describe it, "I just...want to do what I think is right. To do right by people."_

 _Shinn stopped laughing and thought about that. "I...I guess that's what I wanted too, at first." He remarked quietly. "But...ideals_ can't _become more important than living people. That's when you get people like Durandel and Rey." Sadness flickered through his eyes._

" _You're right," He admitted, earning a surprised look from Shinn. "Ideals alone aren't what one should fight and kill for. I wish I had considered that sooner."_

" _You...?"_

 _He smiled weakly. "You're not the only one who's learned things the hard way this time, Shinn." His mind went back to the casualty list Arthur Trine had put in his hand – it was a list of people who had been killed when he blew up the Minerva's positron canon. Thirteen, counting the FAITH agent (by Athrun's description, a wise and amiable individual) who'd died in battle thanks to the intervention. The man had been upset because of his Captain's death, so he forgave him for the bluntness of it afterwards, but it was a sharp and cold reality check._

 _Shinn mulled that over for a moment, before saying, "Huh. So Major Kira Yamato is a human being after all. Fancy that."_

 _His smile became wide and sincere. He knew what that comment meant – it was an acceptance. Not quite friendship yet...but the start of a road towards it._

 _~~FLASH~~_

" _Athrun?" His voice was quiet, worried._

 _His best friend – maybe more – god he was always more wasn't he – looked at him and sighed with a mixture of exasperation and affection. "I know you're worried, Kira...but really. It's going to be fine. I've survived everything behind us, and I'll keep surviving. I have a lot to come back to."_

 _He placed a hand on the other boy's arm, cursing his fear because he would have done anything to make him stay. "But Athrun...these things are different. Just...be careful, okay?"_

 _Athrun smiled gently at him, and he should have kissed him then, should have, should have. "I will, Kira. I'll see you in a while."_

 _He watched him walk away, his heart aching, as if subconsciously he already knew it was a trap, and his soul was about to be torn away to the afterlife._

 _**~END~**_

"...kid? Hey, kid. Wake up."

Kira felt someone shaking his shoulders and blinked his eyes open. Mu la Flaga blinked and said, "Kid, are you alright? You're crying."

"I...am?" Kira raised a hand and brushed his cheek. Sure enough. "Oh...it's nothing. I was just dreaming." He swung his legs over the side of the bunk and looked up at the Hawk. "Has something happened, Lieutenant?"

"We think we have a way to get supplies," Mu explained. "We've just entered the Debris Belt; there should be frozen ice and possibly food if we look in the right places."

Kira grimaced. "It's possible...but isn't that kind of macabre, sir?"

Mu nodded, his brow furrowing slightly. "Oh yeah, very. But it's the only way forward at this point; or else we'll be joining them there."

Kira sighed and stood up. "I guess that's true. Well, I'll head down to the _Strike_. Are my friends going out too?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to worry about them. There's an officer in each of the transports."

"That's good to hear. Thank you."

 ****~Line Break~****

Kira was expected it this time, so his heart didn't stop out of sheer terror/surprise when they stumbled across the massive continent. Instead, he broke off and flew around on his own as Natarle and the others went to investigate the heart of the city. He was looking for something in particular, a building he had memorized from memorial images over the years.

He spotted the red painted door floating on the road, landed the Strike and walked inside the house. He didn't have to go far.

She was floating off the ground near the couch...she must have been asleep when the attack hit. That, at least, provided a little comfort. Perhaps it happened so fast that she didn't feel any pain. Gently Kira approached her and pulled her towards the ground, cradling the body in his arms.

"I found you," he whispered. "It's time for you to go home...Lenore."

Of course, Lenore Zala didn't answer him. But Kira felt an odd sense of peace, like when he had been standing in front of Nicol's grave in the future. So he took a blanket from the couch, wrapped her in it, and carried her back to the Strike.

"Now...to go find Lacus."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Yup! Lenore will be going home; I briefly toyed with the idea of revealing her to be alive somehow, but I don't think it would have made much sense. Maybe another time. So, next up Kira finds Lacus and schemes to return her and the body to Athrun...and hopefully save some lives in the meantime.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**STRIKE Reborn**

 _ **Writer's Block: I WON, I WON, NEER, NEER, NEER!**_

 _ **(Destroy unloads all beam canons, rail guns and missiles into the house, turning it to the consistency of glass. Then repeats the process after the heat settles a bit. Just to be sure.)**_

 _ **Stella: (muttering about monsters)**_

 _ **Me: (puts a gentle arm around her shoulders) Yup, they're absolutely everywhere love. But don't worry - they don't stand a chance against you.**_

 ** _Stella: I'm good?_**

 ** _Me: You're great! And some time soon I'm going to write a story where you burn Lodonia to the effing ground for all the crap you've gone through. Seriously, the lack of comeuppance for those bastards grinds my gears worse than the terrible ending of Destiny - and you all know how I feel about that!_**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED/Destiny.**

 **Chapter 8: The Songstress**

"You're in the habit of bringing in things people have left behind. Maybe you should join the Junk Guild."

Kira wasn't sure if Natarle meant that as a joke, but he found himself chuckling regardless. _Do all the lives I hope I'll be able to save make me a hoarder? Snatching up everything that catches my eye? 'I'll be taking that, you obviously don't know how to care for it'._ He shrugged vaguely, earning a chuckle from some of the mechanics. _Maybe Athrun will find it funny some time._

Lacus's pod was just where he remembered it; he ended up still having to blow away the Recon GINN, but that couldn't be helped no matter what, it seemed. His only other option would be to let it return, and bring ZAFT down on the _Archangel_ before they had a chance to link up with the Advance Fleet. Granted mobile armours provided little more than meat shields but the extra numbers were what allowed the _Archangel_ to escape in as good condition as possible. _I'm going to have to play that one very risky..._ he thought grimly. _I'll have to somehow sneak around and land some hits on the_ Vesalius _and_ Gamow _, either at the weapons banks or the engines._

 _The Agni would serve me well. Maybe I should deploy with the Aile, then have the Agni canon sent out afterwards – like how Shinn called for Excalibers separate from the Force pack the day he nearly killed me._ He smiled inwardly. It had promise.

 _There's some nice irony there. The ultimate coordinator, carefully plotting to rescue a Blue Cosmos member._ His mind floated to the body he had brought out of the Strike; which was now lying on a bed in the medbay morgue. He had gotten a lot of strange looks, but the apparent expression on his face when he emerged with her had effectively silenced any potential comments or questions. _But frankly...no one deserves to loose a parent so violently. And who knows? Maybe seeing one act so selflessly on his behalf might shake his beliefs, even just a bit._

Just maybe. But Kira had staked a lot on 'maybe' before.

The pod slid open, and out tumbled a familiar pink Haro. "Haro haro!" Kira chuckled compulsively when he saw it, remembering the horde of rainbow coloured machines that dominated Lacus's backyard from his own stay there. He sort of wished he hadn't left Birdy in his quarters.

"Thank you very much!"

Kira smiled as a girl with flowing pink hair and a white and blue dress emerged from the lifepod, elegant and beautiful as any official princess could dream of being. Lacus Clyne may not have been his romantic endgame, but she was his dearest friend and close confident, a uniquely brave person who inspired millions with her compassion and her principles.

He reached out and gently caught her wrist, arresting her uncontrolled movement through the air (all while wondering why the spaceships didn't have a similar artificial gravity inducer to the colonies – it would make travelling much easier) and pulling her to the ground. Lacus smiled gratefully, before blinking and taking in his uniform.

"Oh my! This clearly isn't a ZAFT ship," She said, sounding more surprised than anything.

A torrent of surprised and confused noises rang from the surrounding students. Miriallia's eyes had gone wide as dinner plates; even Orb natives could recognize Clyne's super star daughter on sight. Mu, meanwhile, just plastered a friendly smile on his face while his eyes screamed that he knew what sort of trouble this would bring. Murrue and Natarle looked bewildered.

"I'm afraid not, miss...?" Kira played along; Lacus used a more ditzy persona when she was among strangers in order to better feel them out. After all, people tended to show who they really were if they didn't have reason for concern.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You went through all the trouble of retrieving my life pod and I haven't given you my name." Lacus smiled. "I'm Lacus Clyne. May I ask for yours? And, where am I if this is not a ZAFT ship?"

"I'm Kira Yamato. You're on board the _Archangel;_ we were passing through the debris belt when I came across you." Kira explained. He then turned towards Murrue. "Captain?"

Lacus turned as well. Murrue's eyes flickered between them a few times before she cleared her throat and asked, "Clyne? As in Siegel Clyne of the PLANT Supreme Council?"

"You've heard of my father?" Lacus asked innocently, forcing Kira to smother a grin. Such a silly question to ask, and she knew it – but it helped the image she was projecting. Judging by the incredulous look Murdoch and Chandra gave her, it was working.

Murrue took a breath to organize her thoughts. "Yes, indeed. I'm Captain Murrue Ramius of the Earth Alliance assault ship Archangel. Welcome aboard, miss Clyne." She looked around the hanger before saying, "Perhaps we should go to my office? Ensign, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, of course," Lacus said genially, flashing Kira another smile before following Murrue, Mu and Natarle out of the hanger.

Kira watched them leave, then let out a low whistle. "Just when I thought our lives couldn't get more complicated...bang, the Princess of the PLANTs drops into our laps. We must be hexed. Has anyone cut a voodoo priest in traffic lately?"

Uncertain laughter rang through the bulkheads, just what he was aiming for. Most of the officers understood the implications of Lacus being onboard their ship; while it may offer a shield from being shot down, it also promised a whole lot more trouble from ZAFT. They were tense and nervous, though they really didn't need to be. _As a matter of fact..._

An idea began to form slowly in his mind – an even better idea than putting extra weapons on a launch tube, and he could have kicked himself for not thinking of it in the previous timeline.

"If I did, she didn't let me know," Tolle complained. "Isn't the point of cursing someone to let them know that they're screwed first?"

"Were you expecting to find her, Kira?" Miriallia asked curiously.

"Hardly _expecting,_ " Kira disputed through his teeth, inordinately grateful that some time on the run had given him a better poker face. "Though it occurred to me that, since the anniversary of Bloody Valentine was so close -" A scatter of cringes and remorseful/rueful looks met that pronouncement. It still warmed Kira that ever soul on board the _Archangel_ knew what bullshit that event had been. "-that ZAFT might be planning a ceremony of some sort. Though what their princess was doing floating in the lifepod..." He raised his palms. "Well, I'm not sure what happened there, but I don't think it's good."

"You're probably right," Sai said grimly. He was probably wondering how Flay would take this.

"Are you sure? Because you're making that face..." Miriallia persisted.

"What face? I'm making a face?" Kira asked in confusion.

"You had that look just before you ran out to pilot the Strike," Miriallia explained. "Like you're psyching yourself up for something."

"Well..." She was reading him that easily? That probably wasn't a good sign. But, hell, he was always a terrible liar – that's why he stuck with half truths and technicalities. Though to be fair, he had been acting fairly oddly (to her and the others) ever since Heliopolis collapsed. "I just had a thought jump into my head, and I was wondering if I should share it with the Captain. It might get us further along without getting attacked."

"Seriously?" Murdoch said, before slapping a hand on his shoulder. "Then what the heck are you standing around for here, kid? Go and share it!" Several of the other rank and file gave him hopeful looks as well. It was easy for forget that most of these people were techs and low ranks who were just as terrified of the situation they had been thrust into as the Orb students were. They had thought they were a low risk construction mission, and then all this had happened...

Kira laughed. "Alright, if you say so." He took to the air and followed after Murrue and the others.

 _ **~Line Break~**_

 _Okay, I admit I have no idea if this will work, but it will do marvellously for what I have in mind if I can pull it off. Besides, it couldn't hurt to try, it will make us look good to ZAFT rank and file, and it will take away one of Patrick Zala's excuses to escalate things._ Kira tapped his foot slightly, a nervous habit he had developed at Orb. _Provided I can convince Miss Natarle. Mu will probably accept it, Murrue wouldn't be hard to convince either way, but she's so by the book she'd probably rather have Lacus stay behind. She's a massively useful prisoner, after all..._

Kira snorted at the thought and quickly schooled any negative emotions out of his expression. He couldn't show contempt for Alliance high command if he wanted to convince the officers this was a good idea. He was standing outside the door to the Captain's office, not standing so he was eavesdropping – like Tolle and the others (including a couple techs), he noted with some amusement – but off to the side, in a neutral stance, like a man waiting in line at the office.

"What are they saying?"

"I don't know! Keep it down Tolle!"

"Is it really a good idea to try and listen in on the Captain, guys?" Kira asked mildly. Sure enough, just as Tolle turned to ask him where his sense of adventure was, the door slid open to reveal an unamused Natarle frowning at the crouching boys.

"Back to your posts," She said succinctly. Pale, the college boys and soldiers got up and dispersed down the hallway. When Kira didn't go anywhere, she raised an eyebrow. "Crewman Yamato, is something on your mind?"

"I had a thought, Ensign Badgeruil...I was hoping I might share it with the Captain, once the matter with Miss Clyne was settled – in fact, it involves her, if she'd be willing to listen."

Natarle eyed him for a moment. Kira had a feeling she was more suspicious of his motives than she had been in the previous timeline, but given what he'd shown off during battle and how he'd behaved that was completely natural. "What sort of thought?"

"Something that might get us further across space without getting attacked," Kira responded plainly. Natarle raised an eyebrow, just as Lacus and Mu left the office. Lacus smiled and waved at him, which he returned. Mu shot him a look that promised plenty of teasing in the future, to which Kira put on his most innocent expression in response. Much as he found Mu embarrassing at times ( _especially when he'd learned about Athrun last time oh god-_ ) his consistency and light heart was a major comfort.

"Very well. Bring it to the Captain now," Natarle instructed, gesturing towards the door. Kira saluted in thanks before floating in.

Murrue looked up from her desk, having been stuck wondering what to do about yet another unexpected, unwanted variable in her situation, and surprised flitted across her face. "Kira. Are you worried about Miss Clyne?"

Kira blinked in surprise. "How'd you guess?"

Murrue smiled weakly. "It seems to be in your character to worry for others, that's why," She responded. "Miss Clyne has been brought aboard the _Archangel_ for humanitarian purposes, and is officially listed as a guest. I haven't reported you specifically were the one to bring her aboard in case that causes confusion with Orb when you transfer there."

"Oh...thank you," Kira said sincerely, before taking a seat. "I was a bit worried, but not too much actually – everyone on the Archangel knows I'm a Coordinator, but they've been nothing but kind to me so far. And Miss Clyne has a smile so welcoming I don't think she'd be in any more danger than me."

Murrue resisted the urge to bite her lip, feeling somewhat ashamed of this boy's easy trust in her and her men. _He should despise us for dragging him headfirst into a war, but he's been nothing but kind, understanding...and braver than most men twice is age. He has every right to be furious, indigent, bitter and stubborn. If only such supernaturally good natured people were in high office..._

"Actually, what I wanted to talk about was related to her." Kira said. His expression visibly shifted – not quite to the martial one he saved for the battlefield, but it had a decidedly military edge to it. "When I picked her up, it was from a ruined ship, and that GINN I blew away...I think it was looking for her."

"Not surprising, given who she is." Murrue said. "She and those unfortunate souls were scouting for the PLANTs memorial celebration."

Kira nodded. "Well, I think it's safe to assume more people will come looking for her."

Murrue sighed heavily. "You're right. I'm sorry, Kira, I know there's already a lot to worry about. But it can't be helped; as you said, we can't just leave her floating in the belt."

"Of course not. But this may be a good thing, Captain." Kira put special emphasis on her title; not in an insolent way, but as an acknowledgement of her full authority. Murrue blinked. _Stranger, stranger and stranger, this boy._ "I think we should send out a message on ZAFT frequencies, saying that we've brought her aboard."

"What?" Shock. "Why?" Surely he wasn't advocating they surrender?

Kira took a breath. "Because Miss Clyne is, by all accounts, their princess." He said. "ZAFT is extremely wary of anything befalling their civilians since Bloody Valentine, and, well, even in Orb everyone knows how beloved Lacus Clyne is among her people. I think we can negotiate her return, in exchange for safe passage."

Murrue placed her hands on the table. "It's a kind thought, Kira, but after what he's done to get us so far, there's no way Rau le Creuset will give up the hunt. Not for a single civilian."

"No, not for a single civilian. For _Lacus Clyne,_ " Kira emphasized. "I don't know if the Alliance keeps up with day to day on the PLANTs, but there's no one more beloved among them than her. If this ship were to be sunk with her on board, le Creuset returning to the PLANTs would be a very, _very painful_ way of committing suicide – they would eat him alive! And for those same reasons, I don't think we should take her to the Lunar Base. If something were to happen to her, and don't tell me it wouldn't, not when her father's on the Supreme Council, ZAFT would remove any inhibitions they have to avenge her. I'm willing to bet the results of her death would make the N Jammer drops look like playground roughhousing."

"I don't think it would stop them from pursuing us – not after they blew up a colony trying to sink us." The boy dipped his head, "but we could negotiate a head start in peace. That could give us enough time to reach the Advanced Fleet and resupply, get a bigger crew, all of that. We may even be able to reach the Eighth Fleet before they resume hostilities."

There was some concern in that, but Kira was fairly certain it was worth the risk. Contrary to what some PLANT citizens may believe, most of the Alliance rank-and-file were punch clock; ordinary people with few prejudices, doing what their corrupt and bigoted leaders ordered. The _Archangel's_ crew was already proof of that.

Now Murrue looked contemplative. "And another thing about Miss Clyne," Kira said, "she's a pacifist and an activist through and through. I think she'd be willing to go along with it, if it means the potential for less loss of life. And her words have a lot of weight."

Murrue blinked. "But...she's just a teenager..."

Now Kira allowed himself a wry smile. "So am I," he said simply.

Captain Murrue nearly laughed at that, placing one hand on her lips. "That's true as well," she said with some mirth, before becoming serious again. "Let me think on it, Kira Yamato. I'm entirely of the belief that we don't need more trouble, and I'd rather not put yet another civilian bystander through all this trouble, but I have a responsibility to the safety of this ship and its crew, and any contact with ZAFT is a risk. I'll discuss your thoughts with the Lieutenant and Ensign."

Kira bowed his head, smiling down at his shoes. "That's all I can ask for, Captain. It was good enough that you were willing to hear me out."

Murrue smiled. "Have you eaten yet? You should. Go and find your friends, Kira."

The young man stood, saluted, and left the office.

 _ **~Line Break~**_

"You want _me_ to bring her food?!"

Kira arrived in the dining hall roughly at the same point he had last time, shoulders squared like he was going into battle. And in a way, he was – because it is easier to teach someone who is ignorant than to correct someone who is misinformed. Of course, a couple of photos of Lodonia would set anyone with anything resembling a moral compass straighter than an arrow, but there was no way he'd be able to get that from Heliopolis – not with the secrecy involved.

God, those poor, poor people. Stella, Auel, Sting, they had to be what, thirteen right now? Shani, Orga, Clotho, he had no idea if he'd be able to help them – their conditioning to soldier state was probably already underway. Not that it would stop him from trying, but how would he get the concoctions necessary to help them when it was all being constructed in that hell? Strapped to an operating table, pumped full of drugs, subjected to mind altering substances, how could those doctors live with themselves?

And wow, he better lock that away in a corner of his mind, because it was not condusive to clear, _calm,_ impartial thinking. There's no way Flay knew anything about that, and blowing up at her for what her father had raised her on would help _no one_.

He stepped into the room. Flay was standing stiff, staring at Miriallia who was frowning at her and holding a meal tray. The other girl could see the indignation and the anger, but she couldn't see the fear – Flay was utterly, genuinely afraid, which honestly made Kira sad.

He could only wonder what Lacus would think, knowing she honest to god struck _fear_ into someone's heart. She had been entirely patient and accepting of Flay's outburst the first time; had she known? Or was that just the resignation that probably came with the package of being a politician's daughter? He'd have to ask her about it sometime.

"Flay? Miriallia? Is something wrong?" Kira asked clearly as he entered the room.

"I was just asking if Flay would take our new guest some lunch," Miriallia responded, sounding frustrated. Kira smiled at that, because he remembered the first time he talked to Miriallia after she learned he was a Coordinator. She had used some very inventive language when talking about Blue Cosmos, ultimately suggesting they do something physically improbable with their ideas on what Coordinators were worth. _No wonder Dearka ended up so crazy about her_.

"But she's a Coordinator!" Flay blurted, and then balked and looked at Kira. "I, I mean, I didn't mean it like _that –_ I know you're different, Kira -"

Tolle opened his mouth to defend his friend, but Kira waved him off. Last time, he had gotten hurt and frightened by her reaction – not helped by his crush, of course – but this time, he was prepared.

"It's alright," He said, walking over so he was standing at her side. "I know you're scared, Flay, but you don't have to be."

"'Don't have to be'?" Flay parroted, before waving her arms out and gesticulating wildly. "She's the daughter of the _Supreme Council!_ You know, the ones who sent those ships to kill us all?!"

"Well technically, ZAFT was sent after an enemy warship that had been hiding in neutral territory," Kira said, gently and cautiously. _Stalking the wild child. Just don't frighten her, Yamato, or you may loose your foothold..._ "They think this ship is full of enemy soldiers. Your escape pod was jettisoned after Heliopolis fell apart, right? They don't know there are any civilians like you on board. I think, after Junius Seven, they would adapt a different strategy knowing students were here."

Flay naturally didn't look convinced. "Why would they? We're naturals! We're their enemies, right?"

"It's the principle of the thing, Flay. Those go beyond naturals and coordinators; all people have some principles." _For better or for worse,_ he didn't add, Gilbert Durandal flashing at the back of his mind. "Miss Clyne has principles too. Just like I do. Are you afraid of _me_ , Flay?"

The redhead opened her mouth, shut it, repeated that gesture a few times, then just looked anxiously at him. "You can be honest, Flay," Kira said gently. "I know...I know what I can do must look frightening to you. But I took that life pod because I didn't want anyone inside to get hurt, including you."

"I..." Flay looked down at her hands. "I...I know I shouldn't be scared, Kira. I know you're not going to...you're too nice to do anything to me...but daddy..." she clasped her hands together. "Daddy always said..."

"Well, you're dad's in the government, running this war." _Along with his other Blue Cosmos toadies, trying to get their nukes back. For all I know he signed off on what those bastards are doing to Stella and the others_. "War brings out the worst in people, and he's probably seen that for a while now." _Pencil pusher that he is. "_ It's bound to make him suspicious, and he loves you and wants you to be safe. That why he's told you those things."

"Of course!" Flay said, looking up in relief that Kira understood. "Then...then..." she paused. "Is he wrong?"

"Misguided," Kira said. "It's easy to assume all Coordinators want to hurt you when the only ones you've met are enemy soldiers." He smiled. "But you don't have to worry about Miss Lacus. She's not a soldier. In fact, you probably have stuffed animals more intimidating than her."

Flay giggled. He took that into his heart as a win.

"So don't worry. But I can go with you, if you want."

Flay eyed him, then the tray, for a few seconds, before nodding. "Alright. I take it."

Miriallia smiled brightly, before shooting Kira an impressed look. He grinned back at her, tilting his head so Flay wouldn't notice as the redhead took the tray, squared her shoulders, and headed towards the hatch. Kira then slipped out after her.

 _ **~Line Break~**_

 _There's nothing to be afraid of,_ Flay told herself as she walked down the hall. _You have Kira right behind you. No Coordinator is going to hurt you while you're on this ship._ She put her best winning smile on. _Besides, she's another girl. Maybe she won't be so bad._

Those thoughts nearly fled when she turned a corner and nearly bowled into the pink princess of the PLANTs. "Oh my! I'm sorry," Lacus Clyne said, hovering back a bit. "I didn't see you there."

For a second Flay's throat went dry, but she was peripherally aware of Kira at her shoulder so she rallied and said, "It's fine, it's hard to see around these corners." She shifted her hands on the tray. "In fact, I was just going to bring this to you."

Lacus smiled brightly and warmly; she had incredibly brilliant blue eyes. Some small part of Flay wondered if they were engineered to look so pure, but -almost despite herself- most of her brain clapped onto the sincere friendliness she could see in them. "That's very kind of you. In truth, I was looking for the dining hall. There's no one to talk to in the room the Captain kindly provided for me, and I've never been good at going without conversation."

 _She just wants to talk? Does she want to report to her father...? Or – there's not much to spy on with a couple of college students. She doesn't look much older than me. Is she lonely?_

 _Of course she's lonely,_ scolded a voice in Flay's mind, a voice that sounded very much like her beloved mother, who had died when she was five. _First she got caught up on an altercation on her ship, then she got stuffed in a life pod – remember how much fun_ that _was, sitting in a tiny dark tube with flaring red lights telling you the oxygen would give out before too long? - and when she was finally rescued, she was brought aboard an enemy ship!_

"You're, erm, going the wrong way," Flay said, nodding her head in the direction she came from. "It's that way."

"Oh. Oh dear," Lacus said, not the least bit perturbed at being corrected. "This ship is so big."

"It is," Kira offered. "You'd think they would have provided more maps. It can't be that efficient a ship if people got lost in it!"

Lacus giggled at that. She had such a kind face, Flay realized. "Well, I can take you back there, so you won't get lost." She said it before she realized she was thinking it. "Miriallia and I are desperately outnumbered by all the boys here."

Flay was sure she'd made a mistake, right up until Lacus clapped her hands together. "That would be wonderful. Thank you so much!" Her smile remained, soft and kind. "What's your name?"

"I'm Flay...Allster," Flay offered uncertainly, then waited for some sort of reaction – her father was a Defense Minister, after all – but Lacus gave no indication the name meant anything to her, and the three of them set off down the hallway.

 _This isn't so bad. I...I almost think she wants to be friends._

Flay wasn't entirely sure what to make of that, but it made her relax and let go of her anxiety.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Sorry it took so long. So Flay is beginning to conquer her xenophobia - just beginning to, mind you, there's no saying she won't slip up in the future - while Kira plots to get Lacus off the ship in a way that won't get him court marshalled**_ **and _deliver his package. Will he succeed?_**

 ** _Read and Review please!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**STRIKE Reborn**

 _ **Yzak: (slams my computer shut) Seriously?! Distracted AGAIN? It just figures we get stuck with the author who has ADD!**_

 _ **Me: (yelps) Hey! Thedas is just as important to me as the Cosmic Era! Where else will I get my dark fantasy fix if not at Dragon Age? Sometimes I need other stimuli to break writer's block!**_

 _ **Yzak: (gives me the Glare of Doom) How about you finish a story before you start another one, genius?!**_

 _ **Me: (grumbles) That look works better when you're scarred, you know.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny.**

 **Chapter 9: Negotiations**

Hot water poured down on Athrun's back, not quite scalding him but serving as a distraction from his worries. He hoped it would wash away the stress; like the water could take the facts, the knowledge of where Kira was and what he was doing, remove it from his shoulders and carry it down the drain. It isn't quite threatening to drive him crazy, not yet anyway, but the possibilities were starting to weigh on him. Especially after the report to the Supreme Council. He grimaced slightly; remembering his father's words. _Such an admission would only delay our efforts while the neutral faction debates what this means...The Earth Alliance has developed a weapon that preforms far beyond anything else they've developed, even beyond our best, even with a natural as a pilot. That's what the report will say. Do I make myself clear, Athrun?_

Athrun could _almost_ appreciate the irony, that Kira Yamato – _Kira_ , who had cried when he stepped on worms that were washed onto the road by rain, who wouldn't hurt a fly even if it bit him – seemed so dangerous to his father's standing position that the man would rather lie and pretend a _Natural_ was such a dire threat to ZAFT that he required his own separate dossier from the rest of the Archangel staff. But that would require viewing Kira's inexplicable battle prowess with anything other than confusion, sorrow and dread.

" _There are civilians on this ship, five of them are close friends of mine..."_

" _As of right now? About twenty hours. [...] I can't explain, you'd think I was crazy; but I am not a member of the Earth Forces."_

Athrun shook his head, water dripping into his eyes and burning them. "What's it all supposed to mean?" He asked, frustrated. "What happened to you Kira?"

After much agonizing on the topic, Athrun had eventually come to the conclusion that something drastic had entered his friend's life during their separation – it was the only way such as massive shift in character (entering the war) made any sense on Kira's part. What it was – and his mind had unhelpfully conjured dozens of nightmarish scenarios to this effect, including whispers of the Earth Alliance's supposed Combat Coordinator project – it must be related to the G Weapons. How else would he have been able to use one of them so expertly, right out of the gate? More than anything, Athrun regretted falling out of touch with Kira – he would have known if the other boy had gotten in trouble then!

He had to talk to Kira again...hopefully under circumstances where holding a full conversation was practical. It was a good thing that half the council voted to attempt to capture Kira and 'pick his brain' so to speak – figure out what made the 'Natural' pilot so capable. What his father intended to tell them when it became clear Kira was a Coordinator, he had no idea – perhaps he'd just insist that he assumed as much, because what Coordinator in their right mind would willingly serve the Earth Alliance?

 _If he_ is _serving them willingly. If he has friends on that ship, they could be hostages._ The thought burned him. _If only I knew_ anything _tangible. Having...having Kira be on the opposite side of the war, it's put everything cockeyed. I haven't been so anxious...well, I haven't been so_ consistently _anxious...ever. It's tying my brain in knots._

Athrun sighed, shutting the water off and stepping out of the bathroom, throwing a towel over his shoulders as he went. He'd been thinking in circles like that ever since the Heliopolis raid. He needed to talk to Lacus the next time he was on leave, whenever that was.

Even if the idea of marrying her made him uncomfortable (and wonder if he was irrational for feeling that way – there was absolutely nothing wrong with Lacus, any man would be happy to marry her), Lacus was probably Athrun's closest friend short of Kira himself. Athrun had difficulty expressing himself, had difficulty understanding emotions – but Lacus was always there to talk him through it, provide insights he never would have come by, and comforted him when he didn't know he needed it – or pretended he didn't, as a means of staying strong. With Rusty gone and Kira – elsewhere – she was the only one who could really see into him.

"I could use some of your advice right about now." He said wistfully.

So naturally, the news feed caught his attention a few seconds later. Maybe some day he'd get good news – but today wasn't it.

"... _the Silverwind has not been heard from since..."_

 ****~Later~****

Athrun resisted the urge to pace. And punch something. Not necessarily in that order. He was on board the _Vesalius_ , and it would not do for him to act unprofessional. No matter how tempting it was, he would maintain his stoicism. Externally, at least.

First Kira, now Lacus?! Was the universe conspiring to drive him mad? What had he done to offend God so much? Some part of his mind wondered what had become of the _Gamow_ , at which point he reigned himself in somewhat. Getting so wound up wouldn't help anyone, least of all the few people he safely called his friends.

 _The crew would have protected her as best they could,_ he reasoned to himself. _If the worse happened, she's probably in a lifepod near the ruins._

 _But that_ isn't _the worst that could happen,_ the cynical voice at the back of his mind reminded him.

He shook his head.

Suddenly, his communicator buzzed. He blinked and walked over to it. "Yes sir?" He inquired. "Have we heard something?"

"The ship has picked up something, alright. It's been repeating on the International Rescue Channel on a loop for a few hours. The origin of the signal is the Earth Forces. The Commander would like you on deck."

Athrun's eyes widened. _Why would...?_ Alarm shot through him as several possibilities came to his mind. "I'm on my way." He cut the connection and headed down the hallway, quietly cursing the lack of gravity aboard the spacecrafts.

Upon arriving on the bridge, le Creuset nodded at him and said, "Play it, Captain Ades."

A large screen blinked into existence; a wave of murmurs swept through the bridge. Athrun, meanwhile, nearly choked in surprise. The woman standing there, dressed in familiar Earth Alliance white and black, was the same woman Kira had kept him from attacking inside the Morganrate facility on Heliopolis. " _ **Calling all ZAFT forces, this is Captain Murrue Ramius of the Earth Alliance mobile assault ship Archangel. We were travelling the debris belt on our way to rendezvous with the Eighth Fleet when our mobile suit pilot came across a lifepod containing the daughter of Supreme Council Chairman Seigel Clyne."**_

The video changed. It showed the _Strike_ coming aboard holding a lifepod with the _Silverwind_ 's serial number. It then blinked to show Kira emerge from the cockpit – to another massive wave of muttering. They now had -visual- of the mysterious ace _Strike_ Pilot. Then Lacus emerged from the pod, Kira gently pulling her to her feet, to another wave of relieved noise, which quickly gave way to apprehension.

Athrun, meanwhile, was flabbergasted. What were the odds?

The camera changed back to Captain Ramius. _**"She is unharmed and currently in our protective custody. In hopes of avoiding another diplomatic incident, we wish to see her returned safely to the PLANTs. As we cannot break course, we will await contact from you."**_

The Captain then stepped to the side. Standing to her right was Lacus, looking no worse for wear despite spending several days already aboard the ship. On her right was Mu la Flaga, and on her left...was Kira. He had his hands folded behind his back in an effort to look professional; Athrun knew his friend's face well enough to see that he was nervous.

Nervous in a 'please let this work' sort of way.

With that, the video ended. Excited babble immediately erupted across the bridge. Athrun felt like he was in a dream.

"What could the legged ship be up to?" Ades wondered aloud. "It must be some sort of trap...the Earth Alliance would never give up such a valuable bargaining chip."

"Could they have already come into contact with enough forces to make a proper ambush?" le Creuset wondered. There was a funny note in his voice. Almost strained. Athrun wasn't present enough to wonder what it could have meant. "I don't think its possible." He gestured to the area map that had appeared after the message ran its course. "They aren't hiding their beacon, and there are no other ships in that area."

That finally brought Athrun out of his stupor. This was Kira's work, had to be, it fit both the reckless precision he'd shown during the battle outside of Artemis (because who else would advocate returning Lacus on that vessel?) and the compassion that was so indicative of him. How in the hell had he convinced Captain Ramius to do this? Why was the woman going along with it? Admittedly, the threat of an ambush did cross his mind – but Kira wouldn't have willingly gone along with that. -That- had to be the reason he put himself in those videos. To signal to Athrun that this was genuine. Incredibly, despite everything, realizing this caused Athrun to smile in the first time since...who even knew.

"Sir," He started cautiously, "I think we should go. Taking precautions, obviously, but...Lacus Clyne is there, with them. If we wait too long...the Archangel's reinforcements will probably have different ideas of what to do with her than the ship's captain."

The chatter was mixed. Some were more eager to get Lacus back than anything else, while others still suspected a trap. Le Creuset looked contemplative before asking, "Are you volunteering to scout, Athrun? To open the negotiation?"

"Yes sir," He said, trying to keep his enthusiasm contained. _If I go first, I might be able to get some answers off the record..._

"...Very well." Was that a trace of reluctance in the commander's voice? Well, it was a gamble...le Creuset probably wasn't fond of those, this far into his military career. "Ades, set course for the beacon."

 _ ****~Back with the Archangel~****_

" _Anything yet?"_

Kira was in the _Strike_ , perched just below the bridge of the _Archangel,_ scanning the horizons of space. The message was away, but they were yet to see any ZAFT forces yet. Apparently their disappearing act into the debris belt had worked just as well as the captain had hoped. _The_ Vesalius _shouldn't be too far away...though I admit it goes against everyone's instincts to float in a silent run, waiting for them to catch up!_ Ensign Badgeruel had made it clear she wasn't very happy with this plan, though after much, much, _much_ discussion she had reluctantly agreed it wouldn't be wise to keep Lacus as a hostage.

However, that wasn't preventing her from offering grim commentary.

" _I still think we should join with the Advance Force before we attempt the return negotiation,"_ The ensign's voice floated through his communicator. " _Even with what Miss Clyne has promised, ZAFT may still decide to attack us as we leave."_

 _Not with Lacus on board, they won't_ , Kira thought, smiling as he remembered how she had cut off Rau's sneak attack the first time around.

" _I doubt the other Captains would be amendable to releasing her,_ " Captain Ramius pointed out.

" _Then we should wait and discuss it with them! It's not wise to do something as weighted as a hostage exchange of this magnitude without even alerting the higher authorities."_

" _Miss Clyne isn't a POW,"_ Mu cut in before Kira could start to protest. " _She's a civilian we rescued from a danger zone. We're obligated to see that she returns safely home."_

" _Given who she is..."_ Natarle trailed off before taking a breath. _"I recognize that Miss Clyne's situation needs to be handled with special care, but I still believe that we should wait."_

" _I imagine Admiral Halberton will come to the same conclusion I'm making now,"_ Murrue responded with all the certainty of one who knew her mentor's good character. " _I will take responsibility if High Command responds negatively once receiving the Captain's log."_

Kira wanted to point out that it was -his- idea, so really he should be the one answering for it, not her. However, he declined for the obvious reasons. One, High Command would use that as an excuse to execute him, and two, Natarle wouldn't appreciate a commission-lacking officer inserting his opinion into their discussion. ( _He would have to tackle the inevitable problem of how to get the Freedom once he reached that bridge.)_ The latter was probably also the reason Lacus wasn't offering her assurances of fair play, since he knew she was still on the bridge or at least near it.

He sat back in the seat, letting out a long breath. Lacus had reassured him that she would raise the fact that Archangel was carrying refugees to Ades, and that it would be passed along. Little Ella deserved that much. " _ **I never would have t-taken the shot...if I'd known..."**_ **"** _ **Yzak...**_ _"_

" _Kira? Are you alright?"_

Kira blinked as Miriallia's voice started him out of his reverie. " _I'll be fine. Just...kind of tired of this waiting."_ His nerves were pulling into a tight, familiar knot; his eyes slid half shut, hoping the blinking lights on his panel would provide some distraction.

" _Yeah, I know,"_ Miriallia also sounded worn, moreso than himself. He wished he could reach through the communicator and give her a reassuring hug. She was almost a sister to him, and he knew she had to be stressed to the max. He remembered what Mu had told him about war once; war being mostly boredom with a mix of sickening dread, and sheer terror. Kuzzy had never been able to handle it; he'd see if he could convince the other boy to leave via the shuttle.

" _Hey. Remember that time when Professor Kato forgot his morning coffee?"_ He asked.

Miriallia managed a giggle. " _Of course! He fell asleep right on his desk, and those boys decided to prank him by emptying a paint can on his shirt. He woke up and chased them all around the building with a suit cable in hand. Then he trussed them to a lamppost and gave them community service. I think everyone in school was watching!"_

" _It certainly made the Extranet_ ," Kira recalled, a smile gracing his lips. _"He told me to pull it down."_

" _And it took you all night because people had been re posted it everywhere,"_ Miriallia went on. Some chuckles sounded in the background. Kira couldn't be sure but he thought it was Newman and Chandra. " _So you were tired and cranky when you came to class the next day, and I could tell because you were glaring at the guys responsible_."

" _He nearly got in trouble with the board over that,"_ Kira said. _"Must be why the punishments lasted a whole month."_

A musical giggle, this time from Lacus.

" _I was really surprised, actually."_ Miriallia said. " _For as long as I'd known you up to that point, it was as if you didn't_ get _mad. Or failing that, you had the longest temper of anyone I'd ever met. It was kinda weird seeing you actually glare at someone."_

" _To be honest, I was nervous."_ Kira admitted. " _I -"_ He tossed aside the idea of mentioning Athrun here. Oh, he fully intended to tell Miriallia and the others about him (prior to getting the Freedom) this time – but when they were on the ground. It wouldn't help Natarle's suspicion of him if he casually mentioned a close 'friendship' with the son of a Supreme Council member; especially before they met up with the Advance Fleet. " _-really only had one close friend before, from Lunar Prep School. We lost contact when he returned to the PLANTs. Without him, I didn't really feel safe expressing myself at first. You and Tolle helped me get over that."_

" _I didn't know that."_

" _Yeah, well, talking about him made me miss him._ " Not a lie. It had bothered him that he'd managed to loose contact with Athrun the first time around. The way they'd run into each other again didn't help. " _I'm lucky I have you guys."_

Kira couldn't see it, but Murrue and Mu were both smiling while they listened.

Then his monitor beeped. The corresponding one at Sai's station beeped a second later. Kira brought the Strike to bear. _"Heat sources approaching! Checking...one's the Aegis – the other is the Nazca class from Heliopolis!"_

" _They must have sent him out to scout,"_ Kira said, hoping the fact that his heart had jumped into his throat wasn't apparent in his voice. " _Captain?_ "

" _Hold steady, Kira."_ Murrue ordered calmly. He nodded, letting her steadiness ease him. _"Wait for them to hail. Lieutenant, bring Miss Clyne down to the hanger."_

Kira brought the Strike up to its full height. He had the Aile pack equipped, but the gun was holstered and he made no move to retrieve it as the _Aegis_ appeared from around one of the many asteroids in this area. The _Vesalius_ would be following shortly behind. His communicator beeped.

" _Kira?_ " The other boy asked, a significant note of hope in his voice. Kira's chest tightened at the sound and he smiled softly.

" _Athrun._ " He said warmly.

" _Is Lacus with you?"_

" _She's travelling to the hanger now. Is the V – is your ship close by? I'll bring her to you."_ Kira was glad he'd caught the name before it could slip out. He probably shouldn't know it, after all, and this wasn't exactly the best place to explain everything that had happened...

" _The Vesalius is close."_ Either Athrun had missed it, or he was distracted enough to decide not to press it at the moment. " _Kira-"_ he paused, he had so much to say and so little time. " _-Kira, thank you. For finding her."_

" _You don't have to say thanks for that."_ Kira responded softly. " _It was the right thing to do."_

" _She's alright?"_ Athrun asked.

" _A little shaken up, but it's hard to tell by looking at her. She's been very cheerful, and kind."_

" _That's Lacus for you."_ Athrun was about to say something else, but the _Vesalius_ turned the corner a moment later, effectively indicating that their conversation was about to be monitored. Athrun swallowed a noise of frustration and asked, " _Can I see her?"_

" _One moment,"_ Kira was amazed his voice was coming out steady. His heart was pounding horribly in his chest; all he could do was pray that this wouldn't go wrong. Pushing off from the deck, he flew down to the launch barrel which opened as he approached. Once he was inside and it closed again, the other door opened revealing Mu and Lacus, who was once again sporting a rather portly look thanks to her dress. Kira ruthlessly smothered his amusement, knowing that Mu had probably already made a joke about it.

He opened the cockpit as Lacus jumped up, the lack of gravity bringing her directly to him. He smiled and took her hand, pulling her in. "Are you alright? That looks uncomfortable."

"I'm fine, Kira." Lacus said with a smile. It had taken her a little convincing to refer to him and his friends by their first names (except for Flay, who was still content to be 'Miss Allster' for now), but he thought it was worth it. He also appreciated how Lacus had offered to sing for some of the young refugees aboard.

"Then let's get you home." He said decisively, closing the cockpit and heading back out the launch door.

He could only imagine how tense it was on the _Archangel's_ bridge right now; the _Vesalius_ was directly across from them and the _Aegis_ was hovering very close. Natarle was probably having it the worst, he knew this went against all her instincts. He hoped this wouldn't prove her right... He eyed the other ship warily. It wouldn't be possible for Rau to surprise him, not at this distance, but he wouldn't put it past the masked man to try...

Kira eased the _Strike_ to a halt and opened the cockpit. Athrun did the same. Kira wondered if the captain of the _Vesalius_ had been talking to him while he was getting Lacus. His nerves were running wild. "Say something," he told her. "He has to be sure it's you before I can send you over."

"Oh, right." Lacus turned towards the Aegis and waved at Athrun, who was standing on the open cockpit. " _Hello Athrun, it's very nice to see you again_!" " _Very nice!_ " Chirped Haro, who was held in her other hand.

Kira could almost near Athrun smile. " _I confirm it's Lacus_."

" _Then prepare to receive her_." The words were the same, though the situation was different. Gently he took Lacus's shoulders and pushed her forward, letting the momentum carry her over to the Aegis. Athrun gently caught her and pulled her to her feet; examining her as if to assure himself she really was alright. Kira smiled fondly as he watched.

" _Thank you for everything, Kira. Please send Captain Ramius my thanks as well, for doing this._ " Lacus said.

Athrun bowed his head slightly before turning to face Kira. So the Captain really had...his thoughts buzzed. These people...really weren't typical Earth Alliance. But... " _Kira..."_

" _I miss you, Athrun."_ Kira said quietly; deeply and audibly strained.

Something got stuck in Athrun's throat, making responding difficult. " _I miss you too,"_ he responded, a note of desperation in his voice. " _Kira, I still don't understand..."_

" _I know."_ Now there was a note of defeat in there, mixed with anxiety, holding something back. _"I... left something with Miss Lacus. I hope...it will explain a little. I'm so sorry we met again like this."_ Kira sounded like he was about to start crying. Athrun remembered that from the last time they'd seen each other before Heliopolis. Back then it had been Kira asking why he had to leave...

" _They're going to tell me to shoot you down,"_ He said pleadingly.

" _...I know."_ Kira's voice cracked.

" _Then we're going to meet again as enemies?"_ Despair coiled around Athrun's heart.

" _You'll never be my enemy."_

" _Then come with me!"_

" _I...I can't. I wish I had...more time. Athrun, I lo..."_ Kira gasped and stopped speaking for a second. Ahrun blinked, wondering what he'd been about to say... **wait**. He couldn't have... " _I...I hope I'll see you again sometime. S...stay safe."_

With that, the Strike's cockpit folded closed. Athrun blinked hard, tears forming in his eyes, no words left except... "... _You too..."_ Lacus gently squeezed his hand as the Strike retreated to the legged – the Archangel, which then turned and began to accelerate in the direction of Earth.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Welp! Kira nearly let the L word slip; a titanic amount of stress and a huge self imposed mission will do that to you. I hope you all liked this solution to Lacus's predicament! However, now that Lacus has been safely returned to ZAFT without incident, and now they're heading on to meet up with the Advance Fleet (and Flay's dad), what new turn will be added to Kira's second voyage?**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Strike Reborn**

 _ **Me: (on phone) What do you MEAN, you didn't recover any of my computer's data?! I was told that the data files, particularly the open office ones, were being backed up! Why does my computer look like it's completely fresh of the market?! (gets no response) (screams in frustration)**_

 _ **Athrun: You, erm, kinda walked into that one. Why didn't you back your data up?**_

 _ **Me: (whines and puts head in hands) Go away. I'm busy being depressed. (whimpers) All that writing, totally gone...**_

 _ **Athrun: (awkwardly puts a hand on my shoulder) That doesn't really help...I would know.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed. The bloody movie would have been made by now if I did.**

 **Chapter 10: Reinforcements**

"What do you suppose the coffin pod was for? Why jettison it back there?"

"I figured she was a relative of his. He did it for a reason, and I doubt he wants to talk about it." A shrug. "Funny, they didn't look much alike. Eh, it happens sometimes – met a kid who was blonde despite having red haired parents."

Mu heard the banter from the engineers as he entered the hanger. It would have been midnight, if they had been on Earth in that very moment, but there were still people milling around, interacting with both the machines and each other. Insomnia wasn't that uncommon aboard military vessels; sometimes, the stress of waiting for an attack – or just knowing that one might come tomorrow – was enough to keep everyone from sleep until it was absolutely physically necessary. He was following a suspicion that was blooming after surreptitiously checking on the teenagers and discovering one of them was missing.

 _They're talking about that woman,_ he realized, recalling the body of the blue haired lady that Kira Yamato had brought back from Junius. He hadn't said anything about her except that 'she deserves to be buried at home'; even Natarle seemed to understand that interrogating him on the matter was pointless.

 _If he picked now to move her body, then he's leaving her for ZAFT to find._ And didn't that raise all sorts of questions – more so than the boy already collected thus far.

Mu floated over to his Mobius Zero and looked up. Sure enough, the Strike's cockpit was open and he could hear the rattling of a keypad echoing in the quiet. Shaking his head, he pushed off towards it, catching onto the side of the Strike's head and moved down so he was standing on the open hatch.

Kira blinked twice and looked up at him. "Lieutenant la Flaga?" He asked, sounding perfectly alert with no signs of drowsiness. "You're up late."

"I was about to say the same thing. Ye gods, kid, don't you ever sleep?" Mu asked, examining the young man's face. He couldn't _see_ shadows under his eyes, but coordinators had much better endurance than the average natural, so maybe it just wasn't visible.

"Couldn't relax my mind." Kira responded with a faint shrug. "Figured that if I couldn't go to sleep, I might as well do something constructive." He pointed at the computer. "I want to see if I can integrate all three weapons packs on the Strike at once."

Mu started, then put one hand under his chin. "Huh. That could be helpful, I suppose, but it would probably drain the battery in half the time."

Kira grimaced. "I've run a couple simulations so far and that's the biggest problem I'm facing; power needs to be redistributed – if each pack has its own battery, it wouldn't matter. Unfortunately, if we're going to do a major refit I'd have to rely on Mr Murdock to get everything perfect. Athrun was the hardware expert, not me – I major in programming."

"Athrun?" Mu repeated. There was a name he hadn't heard before – at least, not from Kira or the other Heliopolis kids. However, it did sound familiar somehow...

More interesting was Kira's reaction when he heard the question. He visibly balked, looking mortified, before quickly rearranging his expression into something more neutral. "Oh. Athrun was my first friend, from when I lived on the moon. He's a coordinator like me; back then we were inseparable. Even when we were little, he was incredible with machines." He smiled and indicated the robotic bird that was almost always perched on his shoulder. "He made Birdy for me, actually – gave it to me right before he moved to the PLANTs."

"Impressive. He had to be, what, seven or eight when he made that?" Even by general coordinator standards, that was a pretty intricate piece of machinery.

"Yeah." Kira let out a sigh that was warm, unmistakably fond, and wistful all at once. Then he went back to typing. "I miss him."

Somehow, Mu got the sense that comment was loaded. There was something about Athrun that Kira didn't want him to know...

"You should try to sleep again," The Hawk said after a moment of thought. If Kira wasn't comfortable talking about someone, that was his business. He didn't think that it would be threatening to the ship, given everything that Yamato had done to prove himself already. Once Kira felt comfortable talking about it, he would talk about it – he was a very honest kid at heart. "The Advanced Fleet is close."

Kira seemed to wince slightly. "I remember. I'll be alright, Lieutenant."

"Just because you _can_ do something doesn't mean you should," Mu chided. "Maybe coordinators have super non-insomnia powers, but I'd rather you didn't fall asleep at your controls the next time you have to fight three Gundams simultaneously."

The kid managed a laugh at that. "Well, I suppose that wouldn't end well, would it?" Finally yielding to logic, he shut down the Strike's computer systems and stepped out of the machine.

"All three packs, huh?" Mu mused, turning to give the Strike a final look before floating after the young man. "That would be one mean fighting machine." Then he launched himself back toward the door, following Kira into the hallways.

"Can I ask you something, kid?" Kira hummed in acceptance. "Who was that woman you brought back from Junius?"

His shoulders tensed again. "The mother of a friend," He responded after a couple of seconds of thought. "It...I couldn't just leave her there."

Hmm...all of a sudden, one puzzle piece that forged the enigma of Kira Yamato clicked into place. "Was she Athrun's mother, by any chance?" Mu guessed.

The young coordinator flinched, then nodded slowly. "Yes."

"I see." _This must be difficult for you; working on an Atlantic Federation ship with that kind of baggage. But I have a sneaking suspicion that even if you are tired and afraid, you're not going to let me know – are you?_ "Get some rest, Kira."

"Yes sir." Kira disappeared down the hallway.

 _ ****~Aboard the Vesalius~****_

Lacus stepped out off the bridge, letting out a relieved sigh. Her father was glad to see her, and she had secured protection for the refugees just like Kira had asked. Her lips tugged into a sad smile as she recalled the feelings of utter bewilderment among the ship's bridge as she described the compassionate and accommodating way she had been treated by the ship's crew and the refugees, especially Miss Allster. Had the two nation alliances grown so far apart they could no longer perceive each other as possessing any gentler qualities? Could that rift no longer be mended? She shook her head. She refused to believe that; it would only feed extremists and sow tragedy. No matter what happened, everyone had to believe that there were better solutions than solely dealing death.

With that in mind, she should probably find Athrun. However bitter and hard lined Patrick Zala had become, Lacus knew her fiance didn't share his father's sentiments. It was no wonder he and Kira were such good friends.

Mister Pink floated ahead of her, chirping as she traveled the halls.

Athrun sat alone in his quarters, his attention fully on the computer screen across from him. A data stick had been plugged into it a few hours ago, though he hadn't watched every video provided yet. Kira had said that he hoped it would help him understand.

It helped. A little. Somewhat.

" _Why hasn't his fever gone down?"_ The brunette girl on the screen asked, gently squeezing the bedridden Kira's wrist. She, another brunette boy, a blue haired boy, and a blonde were standing in a circle around the bed, while Caridad Yamato sat in a chair opposite the girl holding her son's hand. " _I thought..."_

" _For a Coordinator to have a fever this intense, he had to have come down with something fierce. So it would take a while for him to recover."_ The doctor responded. " _The good news is that I can't find any serious damage inside him that might be causing this, which means it_ should _go away on its own – no need for surgery or particular medicine. Unfortunately, that means all we can really do at the moment is make him as comfortable as possible."_

Kira murmured something incoherent, turning his head to the side.

" _He keeps talking to himself,_ " The brunette boy – Tolle, Caridad had said his name when he entered the hospital – noted with concern. " _Are you sure he isn't hurt somehow?_ "

" _I assure you, I've given him a thorough diagnosis and he isn't in any danger. He may be mumbling just because he doesn't have the energy to speak normally. With plenty of water and rest, he'll be back to normal."_

The brunette girl – Mir (that was probably short for something), Kira had said her name when she arrived and held his hand – sighed and looked down at Kira. " _I'm holding you to that_ ," she said. " _I'm not used to going to school and finding your seat empty._ " Was she his girlfriend? Athrun had trouble picturing Kira with a girlfriend; not because he thought Kira didn't deserve one or anything silly like that; it was just...hard to imagine? For some reason? His mind briefly skittered back to Kira's cut off comment at their last meeting and quickly shook his head.

" _He'll be fine, Mir,_ " Tolle said optimistically, putting a hand on her shoulder. " _Kira's tougher than we give him credit for sometimes._ "

" _Is there anything we can do for you, Mrs Yamato?_ " The blonde asked Caridad. She smiled weakly and shook her head, saying 'thank you Sai'. " _Alright, but if something does come up, let us know – we'll do what we can._ "

That video ended. Athrun leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes momentarily. So Kira hadn't been alone. Kira had people who cared about him and were looking out for him. There was a tug of jealously in his heart, which he quickly dismissed as ridiculous and irrational; Kira was perfectly capable of having other friends; he was such a kindhearted person that it made sense that people were drawn to him. If anything, he was glad that Kira had come out of the shell he'd been surrounded by when he was a child to be comfortable hanging out with other people. He hadn't replaced Athrun, their encounters so far across space had proven that.

The return of his mother had proven that.

Athrun immediately buried his face in his hands, having made the mistake of letting his mind turn to his mother's corpse now resting in a sealed-off room in preparation for being returned to the PLANTs. She'd been found in a damaged escape pod with the file numbers removed; away from the ruins of Junius. Athrun knew immediately who had arranged this. He thought he'd been prepared for the shock. But seeing her in her makeshift coffin – she was almost perfectly preserved, exactly as he remembered her – put paid to that. He hadn't expected to ever be able to bury her, had thought she'd float forever in the cold vacuum of space.

He had touched her hand and burst into tears; the other officers had promptly vacated the room and allowed him to weep until he'd purged some of his grief.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose and taking deep breaths to steady himself, Athrun returned his attention to the videos and clicked on of the few he hadn't seen yet. This one took place aboard the Archangel; it seemed to have been pulled from surveillance cameras.

Kira was floating down the hallway when the four showed up again, this time in Earth Alliance uniforms. Looking slightly surprised, he came to a stop and said, " _Guys?_ "

" _Hey Kira,_ " Sai said. " _I know you're in a hurry, but we thought we'd let you know we've got your back."_

Kira eyed their uniforms, biting his lip in the typical way of nervousness. " _You volunteered? Guys...I wouldn't have asked-"_

" _We know you wouldn't,_ " Miriallia interrupted, a light smile on her face. " _So we did it anyway. The ship's undermanned, and you're already doing your part. So we figured we should do the same."_ she reached out and grabbed Kira's wrist, looking for all the world like a big sister. " _You're not alone out there, Kira._ "

" _Yeah, but don't you think the ZAFT uniforms are cooler?"_ Tolle asked innocently. " _They get green and red and white, while Mir is stuck with pink. These seem kinda lame in comparison."_

" _Alright, wise guy,_ " The officer behind him snapped, annoyed. Tolle blinked and ducked his head sheepishly, while Miriallia giggled at him and Kuzzy Buzzkirk looked nervous but somewhat resolute.

Kira blinked twice, smiled at Tolle's antics, then bowed his head in gratitude. " _Thank you._ "

Lacus, standing in the doorway, decided this was as good a time as any to present herself. "That about sums those five up," She remarked. Athrun started in his chair and stood up, surprise and relief in his face. It was only her. "I ate most of my meals with them and Kira while I was on board."

Athrun cast a hesitant look at the screen, his mind going back to what Kira said. _I hope this will explain, a little._ He supposed that it did – Kira _did_ have good friends aboard the Archangel; the Captain and the Lieutenant showed no signs of using them as hostages and actually offered them significant autonomy, up to and including helping manage the ship. The Orb refugees Kira had rescued and brought aboard were also being well treated; there had been a video of Lacus singing for them. Once Athrun had gotten over the rush of nausea that had come with realizing he had attacked a ship with civilians aboard (only slightly mitigated in that the Archangel had made no announcements of having picked any up before now), he had been the one to pass that information along to the _Gamow_ , given that they would be taking the next run at the 'Legged Ship'. "Is that right..."

Lacus looked sympathetically at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You look tired, Athrun."

"Of course I am," Athrun muttered, raking one hand through his hair. "Understanding everything doesn't make this situation any more comfortable for me!"

It still meant Kira was on an Atlantic Federation warship; and maybe this crew wasn't hardline, maybe they were just recruits who wanted to protect their homes, but they were headed for the Moon base or Alaska, and the people there would have Kira's head on a pike! Even if he didn't officially enlist, the people at Alaska wouldn't be interested in letting the 'miracle pilot' leave their service. They'd keep him as long as he was useful to them, force him to do terrible things, and...

He pressed his fingers into his palm. " _Athrun, I lo..._ " That sentence fragment had been echoing in his mind like the shock waves of an explosion.

Had Kira really started to say _that_? God, why here? Why now? _Why,_ when they were separated like _this?_

"I should have taken him with me," Athrun muttered. "He was a foot away from me, in the Heliopolis hanger...I could have reached him and taken him to the Aegis. I could have! I was so stunned to see him there...by the time I tried, that woman had recovered."

Lacus said nothing, just squeezing his shoulder gently. She was a little worried for Kira herself, though personally she had the impression that Kira wasn't just quick with a mobile suit, but canny as well. She was almost certain that not only had Kira already considered this, but had no intention of letting himself be trapped.

Athrun hadn't seen up close the way Kira could smile, act deferential, and get exactly what he wanted with no one the wiser. At least, not yet.

 _ ****~Back on the Archangel, a few hours later~****_

"Hey, Kira! The Advance Fleet has arrived!"

Kira leaned against the wall, focusing on keeping his expression level so Kuzzy wouldn't become concerned. "Flay must be excited. She said her father was on board the flagship." He said. _I'm not worried, knowing that I'm within shouting distance of a high ranking member of Blue Cosmos. Definitely not._ Hopefully if he told himself that enough times, it would become true.

 ****~** _On the Deck~**_

"We received your transcripts and your casualty reports. It has been a rough journey for you, up until this point." Captain Augustus Koopman addressed Murrue, held tilted in sympathy for their struggles. "The fact that the ship and the Strike are both in well working order speaks volumes for the capability and dedication of the crew and pilot."

Vice Minister George Allster spoke up then, his expression set. "Speaking of the Strike's pilot, where is he? The Coordinator boy?" There was some thinly veiled distaste when he said 'Coordinator', but it was mixed in with an odd sense of urgency.

Murrue blinked. "I believe Kira Yamato in the mess hall, with his fellow Orb refugees."

George Allster frowned. "An officer should always be on deck when their superiors arrive."

"But he's not technically an officer," Murrue protested, a sinking feeling coiling in her stomach. "He's only volunteering until he can be returned to his homeland."

"You mean you haven't already drafted him? After he defeated six of ZAFT's aces in pitched combat?" Allster sounded annoyed. "He's far too useful to us to be considered a loose end. If he hasn't already agreed to enlist, we shall...entice him to do so."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **I can't say I'm entirely happy with this chapter, but loosing all my data like that was...really,**_ **really _dispiriting. (winces) Yeah, establishing yourself as a total badass was bound to cause some problems. This is one of them. The next one will become clear when the Vesalius is in range._**

 ** _Read and Review please!_**


	11. Chapter 11

**Strike Reborn**

 _ **University: So I've decided I haven't been enough of a dick yet...hey, how about after going on strike for six months, and suddenly saying that ONE of the units is returning to work, I STAY in strike mode and not begin remedial classes until the middle of July? You know, so you have to dance around your week long planned vacation to the beach?**_

 _ **Me: (screams into the uncaring void) ... (calms down and returns) So I haven't gotten to this story because...life happened...(glares at University) ...and this chapter is more of an interlude that doesn't cover the planned battle, mostly because I want that to turn out decently and I'm too frustrated about certain THINGS to write a decent fight scene. So instead, people interacting. ...And I really apologize for leaving this hanging for so long. Seriously, I'm sorry.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or Destiny. If I had, Destiny wouldn't have been turned into a clone of SEED where everyone who isn't chained to the idiot ball gets yanked out of character to glorify Saint Kira and Saintly Orb, no matter how stupid and self serving they are.**_

 **Chapter 12: Interlude**

"You're way too goddamn calm about this, Kira Yamato! Aren't you at least going to complain?!"

The fact that Miriallia was swearing quite effectively startled the brunette coordinator back into the here-and-now; which was helpful because he'd been submerged in flashbacks (flash forwards?) until she ran over to him and demanded to know when he'd lost his sense of self preservation. Considering how little Miriallia swore – she hadn't even cursed at Dearka during the hospital incident, at least nothing stronger than 'scumbag' – he knew he had to give her something of an answer.

"Of course I'm going to complain," Kira responded, raising his hands defensively. "For one thing, I KNOW my mother renounced her Atlantic Federation citizenship. I don't know why the Serians would say otherwise," _though I have a few theories,_ "and I guess why the Federation would want me around is self explanatory. I'd say they want to turn me into a propaganda hero, like M-Lieutenant La Flaga. There isn't much Captain Ramius can do for me, since the rule came down from her superior, and while Lieutenant la Flaga's assistance would hold some weight, I'm stuck on this ship for the foreseeable future."

Miriallia looked singularly unimpressed at this. "They can't _do_ this!" She exclaimed angrily. "It's bloody illegal!"

Kira could only shrug at that, because she was right. Tolle had already said about as much when a grim looking Natarle had come to the dinner hall in order to give this news. If there was one bright spot out of this unpleasant surprise, it was that Natarle seemed genuinely uncomfortable with this turn of events. "If they'd thought of that, I wouldn't be in this mess," he responded wryly.

The brunette sucked in a sharp breath and puffed up like she was going to explode. Just as Kira was bracing himself to have his ears ring for the next few hours, she abruptly surged forward and grabbed him in a vicelike hug, burying her head in his shoulder. "How are you not scared?" She whimpered.

"Huh?" Kira squeaked intelligently.

"Tell me how not to be scared. Kira, I'm terrified for you!" Miriallia's grip somehow tightened further. "Maybe Tolle thought watching you dogfight four mobile suits at once was the coolest thing he'd ever seen, but I had to wait until you came back safe to remember how to _breathe_ again. You...you...you left to do that with a **smile**. _How are you not scared?_ Tell me..."

Guilt barreled into him like a punch from his sister. He'd somehow forgotten that Miriallia was young and innocent in this moment, that she didn't yet _know_ him as the man who was forever conquering impossible odds. Kira put his arms around her shoulders and returned her hug as best he could. "I am scared," He said quietly. "This fighting makes me sick, and anything going wrong could...I'm definitely scared, Mir." _For more reasons than you can imagine._ "I just have to put that aside so I can protect you and my friends."

"What will happen if we reach Alaska?" Miriallia asked with a slight hiccup. "What will happen to a brilliant coordinator in the heart of the Atlantic Federation?"

 _Nothing good, you've got that right._ "I don't intend to face that possibility helpless." _If I face it at all._ "Mir, believe me, I don't intend to take this lying down. If worse comes to worse, I'll come up with a plan for us to desert on planet."

Miriallia's shivers came to a slow stop, though her tone became slightly questioning. "Y-you have a plan for that? When did that start?"

"When we were brought aboard. Mir, I promise, I'm acutely aware of the dangers of my position. Our position, perhaps I should say, since we're all Orb citizens."

His friend dwelled on that for a few moments before releasing him. "You're being careful? You promise?" She pressed.

"As careful as I can be," Kira responded, because anything else would have been a total lie. "I promise." _Apparently I've forgotten that promises are dangerous._

Miriallia managed a small smile; she was about to say something else when another anxious "Kira!" sounded from the other end of the hall. Kira turned to see Flay hurrying over to him; she came to a stop a few feet away with her hands clasped against her heart. "Kira, I heard..." She bit her lip and looked around, as if suspecting they were being spied on, before barreling onward, "I talked to daddy a bit and he said that you had officially volunteered. But you never said anything about doing that for sure, right?"

Kira nodded, his brain firing on all cylinders. "I had been thinking about it," He explained, "But it seems the choice has been made for me."

"Oh no..." Flay fidgeted; he realized in surprise that she had already suspected as much instead of taking her father's word for it. "But...but they aren't allowed to do that, are they? T-They can't invoke the draft until you turn seventeen."

"I'm sure they'll say something along the lines of 'desperate times'," Kira responded, careful to keep the anger out of his voice. "I knew when I defeated the four Gundams they were going to be interested in me, though frankly I hadn't expected the draft. I had expected to be hauled before a committee and offered enormous 'incentive' to join up." To be honest, being drafted over the phone, as abrupt and condescending as it felt, was better than having to stand in a room that likely would have included Muruta Azreal as insane bigots who despised his very existence 'encouraged' him to fight their war of extermination. All while confused, scared and mislead soldiers died in droves for the sake of that.

Kira may be a pacifist at heart, with the longest temper of anyone his age in history, but he had his upper limits, and if he could drop a broken ZAKU on Azreal in a tragic 'accident', he would do it and sleep just fine afterwards.

"Incentive?" Flay echoed uncertainly.

Kira shrugged. "High rank. Massive salary." _Threats to murder my parents and my friends. Putting a remote control detonation device in the Strike in case I go off script._ "That sort of thing. Didn't think I'd hear about it second hand over the announcement system."

Miriallia made a small angry noise reminiscent of a displeased cat, followed by a string of incoherent and unfriendly sounding words. Flay looked strangely at her, possibly wondering where she'd heard half of those, before returning her concerned blue eyes to Kira. "Do...do your parents know?"

"I have no idea," The brunette admitted. He realized that he hadn't given his parents position much thought, despite having been lost in plotting how-to-save-as-many-people-as-I-can up until that moment. His parents had never been in particular danger, (they'd been one of the few evacuated ahead of time when Orb was attacked [and the fact that there _was_ an 'ahead of time' made it clear why Shinn was so bitter at the beginning]) but Kira felt guilty that he hadn't given them as much attention upon returning. He should visit them when (if) he reached Orb...

Flay's face bent slightly with concentration. "Can't you complain to the Orb Council?" She asked hesitantly. "I mean, if your mother rejected her Atlantic citizenship, then the Serians enacting their half of the Draft would only bring you into the standard Orb forces - not the main Federation fleet. And the Serians couldn't legally enact the draft without the consent of the other Five Houses. Given Uzumi Nara Athha's policies, he wouldn't have agreed to that, so it must have been made under his nose."

Miriallia blinked twice in surprise, before clapping her hands together. "So the draft wasn't made under legal circumstances, and Uzumi could have him pulled back! That's great, Flay, you're a genius!"

The redhead blushed under the praise. "W-Well, I do listen to daddy talk about work over dinner," she said slightly sheepishly.

"Clearly. Thank you, Flay; I think I'll do just that." Kira put a hand on her shoulder. "Try not to worry too much, alright?"

Flay eyed him for a moment and smiled hesitantly before asking, "If we don't worry about you, who will?"

He didn't really have an answer for that, so he just smiled sheepishly before heading in the direction of the mess hall. Tolle probably wanted to hear more of his thoughts as well.

Natarle watched Yamato head down the hall, as Allster and Haw immediately fell into a hushed discussion when he was out of earshot. "Your dad told you he agreed to volunteer?" Haw started indigently. "Can they get any more transparent?!"

"Daddy might just have been repeating what he was told," Allster protested, defensive of her often absent single parent. That, more than anything, was what convinced Natarle that she was completely unaware of her father's Blue Cosmos sympathies. "Daddy doesn't handle recruitment; only finances."

Haw blew out a breath and put her hands on her hips. "This is ridiculous. It's so, so, so _obviously_ illegal and yet no one seems to care!"

Allster wrapped her arms around her stomach. "But it'll be fine, won't it?" She asked nervously. "Once we can contact Orb Administration, everything will work out..."

Natarle pitied the girl's comfortable naivety. Even if things did manage to move that smoothly for Yamato - who's enigmatic nature screamed that he'd be finding more trouble entirely on his own volition - the war would come to Orb's doorstep in the future and their haven would turn into another battlefield. Natarle was grimly convinced of that. Whatever Uzumi may believe, principles weren't enough to halt a war in progress, and principles wouldn't keep the war away from his island forever.

This...this, however...drafting Yamato was the worst political blunder this mess could have created, and yet central command went for it?

Natarle would freely admit – she didn't trust Yamato. The fact that he was so incredibly capable paired with the obviousness of the fact that he had his own agenda set all her nerves on end. Aside from the protection of the other Orb refugees, Natarle couldn't figure out exactly what Yamato wanted; she was forced to admit that joining the Earth Alliance was disadvantageous for a Coordinator. She'd tossed out the notion that he might be a planted spy for that very reason; no matter how capable he was he would never be trusted with top secret information. Not to mention that teenagers were the least likely to stoically put up with casual racism while waiting for an opportunity to strike. Natarle disproved of the low age requirement for entering ZAFT as much as she disapproved of her superior's attitude towards Coordinators. It just filled their army with impulsive children! Yet Yamato had faced truly absurd odds with an outright dissonant calm; a boy who'd supposedly never been within shouting distance of a military mobile suit before literally falling into the _Strike's_ cockpit. Sure, he was a coordinator and thus naturally gifted...but this...

With all that being said, Natarle was against drafting Yamato, and was dumbfounded by this stunning lack of gratitude for his efforts by the high command. Not to mention, angering the Orb government could send them into the war on the side of ZAFT – and the Earth Alliance could not afford that. Orb was famous for having technology that superseded almost every other country on the planet, and they were isolationist to a tee ever since the Atlantic Federation was formed.

That's when the thought hit her. Could Yamato be an _Orb_ agent?

Natarle knew full well that the Gundam project was the joint dream of Admiral Halberton and Lord Sahaku. Likely Orb wouldn't have had the resources to fund it independently, and Athha's hardline neutrality stance, he likely wouldn't have stood for Sahaku trying to fund it on his own. However, gaining the Gundams with little financial strain – since the Federation had footed the bill – would put Orb in a _very_ strong position to bargin – or even join one side of the war, should fortunes change.

Perhaps Yamato had been planted there to ensure that, should the project be discovered, at least one of the mobile suits would be retrieved and returned to Orb. Mining the resulting combat and statistical data would allow Morganrate to improve whatever mobile suit program Orb was running beyond what the Federation could field – perhaps even beyond what ZAFT could field, depending on what they did with the information mined from the stolen mobile suits.

It made as much sense as anything else that Yamato had done. Grimacing, Natarle turned on her heel and went to share her suspicions with the Captain. She wasn't sure she'd be taken seriously, but she needed to put this forward.

It wouldn't do to have a double agent aboard the Archangel.

 **End Interlude**

 _ **The funny thing about Natarle's conclusion is that she isn't totally wrong, given what Kira's been doing (previous to being shifted through time). ...I think I know why that Next Gen time travel story is bugging me so much. One story at a time, muse!**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Strike Reborn**

 _ **The author is lying with her head down on a desk, paper and textbooks surrounding her. The theme music for Gundam 0083 is playing from a nearby speaker, but even with its energy filling the room, she shows no signs of stirring. Kira hesitantly walks around the room, shakes her, and finds the next chapter.**_

 **Kira: Four essays due around the same time period, huh...I guess that explains a lot.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam Franchise in any capacity.**_

 **Chapter 13: Ten Minutes to the Eighth Fleet**

Kira examined the Strike's OS, only partially concentrating on the lines of data flickering on and off. His stomach prickling uneasily. _The Gamow's overdue._

In the previous timeline, the _Vesalius_ and the _Gamow_ had attacked shortly after they met up with the Advance Fleet, destroying all three ships and convincing Natarle to use Lacus as a hostage to ensure the Archangel's escape. In doing so, she near universally hardened sentiment against Earth and Naturals, gave Patrick Zala immense fodder for his political campaign to replace Seigel Clyne, and in the grand scheme of things greatly assisted Rau le Creuset. All in all, not a good day. However, some quick thinking with the benefit of hindsight had ensured that Lacus was returned unscathed to the _Vesalius_ , who presumably were returning her to the PLANTs. Which meant that the joint attack on the Advance Fleet couldn't happen as it had before.

That meant one of three things would likely happen instead. One, the Advance Fleet and the Archangel would join up with the Eighth Fleet without any trouble, at which point they would face the combined ZAFT fleet while attempting to descend to Earth. This was possible but not very probable; the PLANTs wouldn't be keen on giving them time to prepare. Two, the _Gamow_ would attack anyway, relying on superior mobile suits and the stolen Gundams to overpower the unfavorable odds. Yzak would want to do so, but Kira wasn't sure that Captain Zelman would share the pilot's recklessness. Three, the _Gamow_ would attack, but they would be backed up by ships dispatched following the announcement of Lacus's safe return, the most likely outcome. After all, the Archangel's location had been broadcasted in order to make the transfer. It would be easy to send troops to the last known location and have them back up the _Gamow_. The latter two did not quite fit with the script he was cheating from.

Hence his stomach rebelling.

He groaned and sat back in his seat, telling himself to be rational. Pre-knowledge was pretty much useless within the chaos of battle; both his previous fights had been quite different from the first run around even though the events leading up to them were almost the same. So whatever happened, would happen. Nothing he couldn't handle at this point in time. He was more at risk from his own muscle memory than he was from ninety percent of the standard ZAFT force. His memories of Freedom and Strike Freedom, which handled so different from the Strike itself, had tripped him up a couple of times nearly resulted in a beam rifle shot to the face. Hell, even if Rau personally joined the battle, Kira could meet him on even terms. The CGUE wasn't advanced enough for the masked man to fully cut loose like he had at Jachin.

Rau...

Kira rubbed his eyes. A thought was nagging at him, bouncing throughout his dreams in which his memories of the man rested. Rau was suffering. He was in pain, had been in pain all his life. A clone, a tool of humanity, a tool of war...years and some perspective granted by three pointless wars had given rise to feelings towards the masked man that Kira didn't know what to do with – empathy, pity, sadness. He pitied the man's bitterness towards the manner of his creation, and he understood his bitterness towards humanity. It had only taken two years for the PLANTs and Earth to start a war almost more devastating than the first...and then five years to nearly wipe out humanity.

He understood. But he didn't agree.

In the end, people were people. They chose good just as often as they chose evil. When they had the chance, they chose good more often than otherwise. He could provide that chance if he could pull off his scattershot plan to derail this war and the setup for the second. Maybe he could even help the last person who would want that.

Being the Ultimate Coordinator had to be worth _something_ , right?

He sighed heavily. It was so tempting to blame everything on Hibiki, part of his eternal silent war on the-man-who-'created'-me-but-isn't-my-father. It was also fairly childish, but in the late hours whenever things were falling apart or threatening to fall apart it tended to be the first thought that jumped into his head. _Hibiki, may the devil use your spine as a ladder to hell;_ or some variant thereof. He usually saved that particular one for either the aftermath of combat, or politics.

And anyone who thought that was petty hadn't met Yuuna Roma Seiran.

Kira shuddered. He needed some sort of plan to deal with them, though god knew what would work. Hopefully telling Uzumi that they had shady connections to the Earth Forces would be enough to at least make them back off, depending on how angry the old lion got about his conscription. Kira wasn't certain what his exact reaction would be, but he was pretty sure Orb Parliament was in a state of organized chaos right now.

Cagalli was going to have an epic screaming fit when she heard about that, for sure. _Shinn would turn the air blue in two different languages. Assuming Yuuna wasn't within punching distance._ He grinned slightly at the thought. He missed them both.

Minor differences in battle plans aside, Kira knew he had to take this as an omen of things to come. The more he changed in the grand scheme of things, the more likely it was that his enemies would pursue other options or retaliate in a way he was ill-prepared to counter. Who knew what Andy was thinking right now, if he was being updated about the Archangel. Hell, unless he intentionally threw himself in that direction, he might miss out on their previous landing zone entirely. And Rau...well... he knew that Rau was plotting. Always. But whether the man suspected where he came from yet...he had no way of knowing. He didn't know exactly when Rau pegged him as the ultimate coordinator last time around. And if Patrick Zala didn't have a strong case to win the Supreme Chairman seat, he might do any number of things...

Troublesome. Gah. The big problem being that he was mostly a soldier; this time travel event was a crash course in manipulation and tactics, but he was very much a beginner in that arena. He could only guess according to available data.

"Hey kid."

He blinked twice, coming out of his reverie, to find a plastic tray with a soup container hovering a foot in front of him. He looked up in confusion to find Murdock grinning at him. "Thank you," He said slowly, accepting the food. "Is it that late already?"

"You need an alarm clock," The engineer responded with a chuckle. "Or a minder. You've been in there for five hours. Aren't you satisfied by now?"

Kira gave a small smile and a shrug, affecting a bit of helplessness. "Call it paranoia. I...I don't want it to suddenly stop working in the middle of battle. I gave it a few stress fractures when I took it out against the other Gundams, didn't I?"

Murdock grimaced slightly and nodded. A number of Kira's crazier stunts during the first sortie had unexpected consequences; the frame of the machine simply hadn't been designed with someone like him in mind. The Freedom would have been able to preform the acrobatics and rapid weapon shifting without trouble, but the Strike had a lower tolerance for bullshit Coordinator antics. The result being three fractures in the left side that Murdock and the other engineers had only just finished repairing. "True, but you can let us worry about that you know. We're paid to."

Kira tried for exaggerated wide eyes. "I'm not getting paid? I thought the new rank at least meant I was getting paid." _Dearka's better at this,_ he thought ruefully when Murdock winced instead of laughing. "Thank you, Mister Murdock." He got out of the cockpit, wincing slightly because low gravity did not make one immune to muscle cramps.

Some of the replacement crew stared, curious and wary and uncertain, as he moved about. After two days, he'd gotten used to the weight of their eyes. Many of them came from Earth, their families starving or freezing in the wake of Operation Oroboros, and they couldn't make sense out of this Coordinator who protected them with the might of ten thousand men. A coordinator boy who smiled patiently when one of them let slip 'gene freak' when he was in earshot, his eyes saying he'd heard it all before. The man who said it spent most of the night rethinking his life before apologizing the next day, a half-meant gesture, because he still saw his sister's emaciated corpse when he closed his eyes. ZAFT did that, and it was hard to separate this seemingly invincible, seemingly perfect boy who'd been crafted to have everything he'd ever need and more from that. The boy answered questions that made his friends bristle and glare and snap at men and women twice their age with compassion and an easy laugh when applicable. Some thought he was too young to pilot, seeing him as a child press-ganged into an adult conflict, and told Murrue as much. Kira never mentioned that the PLANTs considered him an adult, instead deciding to take the concern in the spirit it was intended.

They were good people, all in all – especially considering they came off George Allster's ship. Oh, there was one or two Blue Cosmos sympathizers, but they didn't dare criticize him within earshot of the original crew.

Not after Mu punched a man's teeth out for calling Kira a space monster.

Kira smiled to himself. No, those three people wouldn't last long on this ship.

Miriallia was standing in the doorway when his feet touched the floor again. "I thought I was going to have to drag you to the cafeteria by the hair," She commented, tone deceptively mild as she reached out and grabbed his hand. "Have you rested at all?"

"I think I drifted off a couple times." Kira answered, letting her drag him in the direction of dinner. "I don't _feel_ tired, just stiff."

"...To be honest, I haven't been sleeping much either, yet I'm not tired. When I asked him, Lieutenant La Flaga said that being in combat rewires your brain." Miriallia hesitated. "It also shifts your perspective, y'know? I've spent some time down in the CIC on my off hours, just...looking at old combat data. So far, I've mostly pushed buttons and relayed commands from the Ensign, but I've been looking and...trying to learn combat patterns. I've pretty much memorized everything the stolen Gundams did when they first attacked us."

"Really?" Kira blinked. _Already?_ Mir hadn't really taken over CIC until halfway through the Second Bloody Valentine war, previously. Until they had left Alaska, she'd only followed direct orders and didn't have much in the way of initiative, seeing the war as something she wanted to escape rather than plunge into. "Not to sound critical, but why?"

"...I guess I want to feel less helpless. It's not like I'm in a position to give orders or act without the Ensign's permission, since I'm only a low ranked Crewman. But...you've had to carry the fights up until now, and...and I want to be able to contribute." Miriallia shook her head. "And not just in relaying information and repeating orders. That's trivial in the grand scheme of things."

They floated by one of the Archangel's view ports. Miriallia set down on the floor and turned to gaze at the stars. Kira floated up near the ceiling.

"I haven't told Tolle." The brunette admitted, to his surprise. "I don't want him to worry. But...I can make some sense out of the logs. See tactical patterns. I mean, outside of the obvious, like the Duel's pilot being a reckless glory hound." Kira thought about Yzak's likely reaction to such a description and choked on a laugh. "But I can see what their plans were when they made their moves. I think if I studied and sat in the simulators for a while...I could do the job the Ensign currently holds. I think I could get good at it. ...And that worries me."

She tilted her head up and stared into the stars. "People are dying out there...I never wanted to be a part of that. But I'm here now, and I think...I could be. I could be good at it, if I tried. I'm afraid Tolle might not look at me the same if he knew."

"We're talking about the same Tolle, right?" Kira asked gently. "Mir, if Tolle isn't afraid of me, why would he be afraid of you?"

Mir let out a small laugh. "I know. Really. I just keep thinking...the Captain said that we'll get safely to Orb. But I keep thinking, by the time we reach safety, I won't be the same person he knew when he asked me out. I'm...not sure I want to be."

"...Where's this coming from?"

"One of the men from the advance force called you a space monster. After everything you've done and been through."

"...Yeah? He's just one man, Mir. It doesn't bother me."

She twisted to look at him, blue eyes burning. "It bothers _me_ , Kira. It bothers me that he could say that so casually, to your face. It bothers me that no one looked surprised when he said it. And then I realized...while we were living in the safety bubble at Heliopolis, those words, those thoughts...important people were using them as battle cries. And people are just shaking their heads but going along with it because they've lost so much themselves, or getting sucked in. And I knew all of that...I thought I did..."

Kira made his way to the floor and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're thinking about entering the war all the way?" He asked.

Mir closed her eyes. "This is not going to stop," She said softly. "It doesn't matter that war is awful, that it damages the soul, that people shouldn't fight. It's not going to stop because of people's principles. It's only going to stop in fire and blood. Everyone's lost too much."

A chill went down the young coordinator's spine. _She's already realized..._ How long had it taken him to realize that the first lifetime? Five years and two wars? He could almost hear Shinn shouting in vindication.

"It might not come to that," He said softly, even though he didn't believe it himself.

Mir took a deep breath and leaned on his shoulder. "I hope you're right."

And that's when the alarms started blaring.

 **Line Break**

Miriallia raced to the bridge, once again embroiled in organized chaos. Captain Ramius was shouting commands, the new officers were finding posts that needed occupation, and she needed to get the situation relayed to Kira and the people in engineering. Her friend had slipped right back into his new enigmatic persona, remarking quietly _'so they are taking the risk. A full ten minutes, huh?'_ before heading towards the Strike. She doubted he even realized he'd said it aloud. Everyone from Heliopolis knew that Kira was acting weird ever since he'd been sick. Melancholy, pensive, often like his mind was somewhere else entirely. Some days he hid it better than others, but since they got on the Archangel he'd pretty much discarded any pretense of being the exact same boy who'd suddenly become feverish one gray Saturday morning.

Perhaps it was just as well. Mir was changing too...albeit a change expedited by the situation at hand. She wondered how Tolle had avoided change, so far...maybe he was good at hiding it too.

She clambered into the station, giving Sai and Flay cursory nods as they welcomed her. Poor Flay was shaking; handling the guns of the Archangel put her much closer to the death and destruction than any other post. Likely regretting all of her life choices. Mir gave her arm a squeeze. _We'll get through this. Kira is protecting us. He won't loose._

 **Line Break**

 _This is a lot of forces to commit to a ten minute battle;_ Kira thought idly as he rendered a _Nazca-class_ immobile and impotent with two shots from the Angi. After some quick thought, he decided to take the heavy ion blaster and use it in place of the Aile pack's gun; not an ideal setup, since he couldn't draw from the Launcher pack's superior energy reserves, but it allowed him to hit harder without sacrificing his mobility. Fairly necessary with the Duel flittering about like an annoying firefly. Aegis was focusing on attacking the support ships. Blitz, once again, was trying to get close to the Archangel. Buster was supporting Duel.

 _If the four of them couldn't beat me, why do they think they can beat me with just the two of them?_ , Kira thought wryly. Dearka's confidence was nigh-unshakable, true, and Yzak was easily riled by defeats less embarrassing than the one he'd handed him earlier, but they were trained soldiers. They should have better planning ahead of time.

 _I remember being terrified of this, once. Now all I feel is tenseness...like I'm wasting time._

 _From a certain perspective, I_ am _wasting time. Winning this battle doesn't make any dent in Azreal or Zala or Creuset's plans. This is a waste. A waste of lives all around._ He knocked off a few GINNs getting too close to the _Montgomery. I hate this. I hate that there's not much I can do from here. I need to get to Orb._ He gave himself a shake.

Two minutes left. Could he keep his promise to Flay? Duel was crippled. Yzak wouldn't appreciate that. The Blitz needed to be intercepted. Aegis incoming. _I miss the Freedom. How am I going to get it this time?_

A sharp pressure on his skull. A familiar one. His spatial awareness. _Rau_? No. That didn't feel right. What was...? Who was...?

 _ **Eventually, humans might be able to control time itself!**_

 _What?_

 ** _Kira._**

 _!_

 ** _Find the future, Kira._**

Ten minutes. Ten minutes and he was falling.

 **End Chapter**

 ** _(shrugs) What you leave in your past rarely stays there. I finally got around to watching the original Gundam 0079 and part of Zeta Gundam, in between university classes, so I can use that line!_**

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


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